Supernatural
by seraphim2db
Summary: What if Jesse never died during season one of Buffy and accompanied Xander on his roadtrip. While on the road they embark on the journey of a life time.
1. Prologue

**Supernatural**

What if Jesse never died during season one of Buffy and accompanied Xander on his roadtrip. While on the road they embark on the journey of a life time.

A/N If you have any questions on what was different in the seasons before this with the inclusion of Jesse just ask. This fic is also rated T for now, but as the story develops it might change to M. Also this story is loosely based off the tv show Supernatural on the WB.

Prologue

"And why are you collecting guns again?" Xander asked Jesse as they finally pulled out of Oxnard and off onto the open road in his classic blue 57' Chevy. They had just spent two hours at an auction house, just for him to buy a certain gun that he wanted.

"Come on man." Jesse replied with a grin as he spun the revolving chamber on his silver 1898 revolver. He was glad to finally be on this trip with his best bud, because they planned it every since they were little kids and he had saved alot of money from odd jobs. But to finally be out there on the open road was exciting, because when Buffy came into their lives he didn't really think that they would have survived long enough to make the trip. "Everybody needs a hobby."

"Somehow, the image of you with guns doesn't sound like much of a hobby."

"Ha ha." Jesse mock chided. "This thing isn't even loaded, so what are you worrying about?"

"I wasn't really worrying about that." Xander admitted as he lowered the top on the convertible down. Letting out a deep sigh, he let the whipping wind blow through his hair and the warm californian sun beam down on his face before he spoke again. "I was just thinking about what you said to me earlier."

Jesse stopped spinning the revolving chamber on the gun and stared over at his best bud for a second. He noted how, for the first time he had known him, how serious Xander seemed and he put a smile on his face.

"So you agree with me then?"

"I never said that. I just said I was thinking about what you said."

"Come on Xander, what's the point of going back to Sunnydale?" Jesse asked, more then a little agitated. "We've graduated now and Buffy has made it clear time and time again that she doesn't need us."

"But she has needed us." Xander argued, not noticing that the sun had faded away only to be replaced by dark clouds and a low rumbling in the distance. "Remember the zombies during the time the sisterhood of Jhe was here or during graduation when we defeated the mayor. Who else could've done those things?"

"Somebody would've been there man. Somehow fate always has somebody there to stop those kinds of things from happening."

"Who says that somebody wasn't supposed to be us?" Xander asked as he turned to look at him. "What would've happened to Sunnydale or maybe even the whole world if we weren't there to stop those things?"

"I'm just tired of...I'm tired of being the man on the sidelines. The man that the spotlight doesn't shine on." Jesse admitted as he ran a frustrated hand through his shaggy spiked hair. "And come on man I know you feel the same way? I know that you felt like just leaving Sunnydale behind and starting a new life somewhere else."

Xander looked at him hard, caught. He had felt that way many times. Partly because of his parents abuse over the years and then when his friends tried to push the both of them out of the "good fight". Before he could come up with a convincing lie to tell him, the heavens opened up and it started raining in heavy sheets, drenching them both.

"Ahh man!" Xander yelled out as he struggled to let up the top of the car. At the same time Jesse rolled up his window. Once Xander had finished, he took his eyes off the road and reached in the back seat for a towel to dry himself off with.

"Xander watch out!" Jesse yelled out.

Whipping back around Xander took the wheel and nearly swerved off the road trying to avoid whatever Jesse had seen. Getting control back over the car, he stopped it with a screeching halt in the middle of the road. Breathing heavily, he glanced over at Jesse with a questioning look.

"You almost hit someone." and looking in his rear view mirror, Xander sure enough saw someone with a jacket draped over their head walking slowly on the side of the road. "Come on man, let's go back and pick them up."

Xander shot him an increduous look, thinking about all of the things he had heard about picking up hitch hikers, but looking back in his rear view mirror he noted that it was a girl wearing a long sequenced white dress. Forever the white knight, he shifted the car in reverse and pulled up beside her.

"Hey you need a ride?" Jesse asked as he rolled down the window. To his surprise the girl didn't look up at him, but just kept walking, even as Xander kept a sturdy pace beside her. Looking the girl over again, but still not seeing her face Jesse saw that she had long flowing black hair and that she had a red Shadow Valley High football jacket draped over her head.

'Shadow Valley High?' Jesse thought to himself. He had seen their football team in action and knew exactly the area where she lived. "Hey we're actually not that far from Woodbridge. We could give you a ride?"

"Really?" she asked as she finally stopped and looked up at them. Jesse was about to tell Xander to drive off when he saw the girls face because she had a striking resemblance to the rouge slayer Faith. Calming down after noticing that it wasn't her, he looked deep into her piercing brown eyes and saw a sadness to them. Upon taking an even closer look he saw that she had been crying recently because of her red eyes and tear stained angelic face.

"Yeah, we'll give you a ride." Jesse told her nervously, before turning to Xander. "Right Xand?" after nodding his head, Jesse got out of the car and got in the back seat letting her in the front.

"So what's your name?" Jesse immediately asked as Xander put the car in drive and started to pull off.

"My...my name is Jaime." the mystery girl told them both as she dropped her jacket to the floor and started to shiver. Seeing that she was dripping wet and shivering Xander cut on the car's heater. Sending him a grateful smile, she rubbed her hands on her arms to keep warm.

"Well Jaime, my name is Jesse and this is my best bud Xander." Jesse properly introduced everyone. "So do you mind telling us why you were walking by yourself in the middle of the road?"

Xander was about to shoot him a look for being so blunt, but honestly he wanted to know the answer to that himself.

"Me and my boyfriend Josh had an argument and he made me get out of the car and told me to walk home." Looking at her out of the corner of his eye Xander saw how calm she seemed when she said that and it unnerved him.

He knew that she was telling them the truth, but he idly wondered how much abuse she put up with from her boyfriend that made her talk about it as if it were nothing.

"And he didn't even come back for you when it started raining?" Jesse asked getting worked up. "God what a jerk!"

"That's not even the half of it." Jaime stated bitterly with a sad smile. And for the next half an hour she went on to tell them a little about her life and that she had just come from a formal dance in L.A. and he had dogged her out and dumped her in front of his friends.

He still promised to take her home, but after getting a certain distance from the party he had made her get out in the middle of the street. After that the group sat in silence, only with Jaime occasionally giving Xander directions.

"Take a left down this dirt road and stop." she suddenly told Xander. As they saw a cememtery coming into view Xander immediately felt a cold chill whip in the air. One that chilled him to the core of his soul.

"I'll gladly take you home." Xander informed her as he stopped in front of the dark and gloomy looking cemetery. Jaime was beautiful and nice and all but there was just something strange about her. Something strange that Xander couldn't put his finger on. "Really it isn't a problem."

"That's alright, I don't live far from here." she told them as she opened her door. "Thank the both of you for the ride and for the talk." she said as she leaned over and kissed Xander on the cheek before grabbing her jacket and getting out of the car.

Glad that it had stopped raining and that her jacket was dry, she gave both of them a friendly smile and a wave before walking into the darkness of the cemetery.

"Okay man, that was wierd." Jesse said as he got back in the front seat.

"Tell me about it." Xander replied as he put his hand on the cheek where she had kissed him. Her lips were so cold, as if someone dead had kissed him. He knew that she wasn't a vampire because she was walking in the daylight...'I'm just being paranoid.' he thought to himself. 'Jaime's a nice sweet girl and she was just cold.'

"Do you think we should follow her?" Jesse suddenly asked, snapping Xander out of his reverie. "You know, to make sure no vampires snack on her."

Before Xander could answer, Jesse's foot brushed up against something, making a jingling noise. Looking down he saw that it was a small silver heart necklace on the floor.

"Jaime must've dropped this." Jesse figured as he picked it up and opened his door. "I'll be right back, I should be able to still catch up with her."

Taking off into the night in chase of Jaime, he saw a hint of a white dress going over a hill.

"Hey Jaime, wait up!" Jesse yelled out as he picked up his speed to catch up with her. "You dropped this." he knew that she had heard him, because she turned around and smiled at him, before walking behind a tree.

As Jesse finally made it up the hill and looked around he found that his new friend was gone. He was about to call her name when his gaze fell upon a grave marker beside the tree. He immediately froze in place, because as the moonlight shone on it, in an almost heavenly glow, he saw that it had the name Jaime Mercer on it. The same name as his friend. He was about to dismiss it as being a coincidence until he saw two more things.

One, there was a picture of Jaime on the grave marker and two her red Shadow Valley High jacket was neatly folded on top of it. With nerveless fingers, Jesse picked up the jacket and ran back towards the car. He had to let Xander know what he had found.

A/N As this story develops more, there will be some crossovers with a few horror movies.

Please Review...


	2. Chapter 1 Stir of Echoes

A/N Thanks for the great reviews. And no this will not be a crossover with the WB show Supernatural. It'll only have some of it's themes.

Chapter 1

Stir of Echoes

"Come on man you gotta be joking." Xander was saying with a roll of his eyes as Jesse led him into the cemetery.

"Then how do you explain this jacket?" Jesse asked as he led him up the hill. "Or this?"

Crouching down before the grave Xander's eyes widened at what he read. 'Jaime Mercer, born January 15 1981 died May 12 1999.'

'That was the same day as our prom.' Xander realized as he stood to his feet and looked over at Jesse. "There has to be a rational explaination for this."

"Yeah like Jaime being a zombie."

"Jesse we've seen zombies before and they don't look normal like she did." 'Except Jack O'toole looked normal.' Xander's mind screamed at him. 'And he was a zombie.' "Listen, it's dark and I'm tired. Let's just go to the nearest hotel and get some sleep. I still don't believe that she's a zombie but she gave us her phone number and her address so we'll check it out tomorrow."

"Alright." Jesse said seeing the reason in that, as he tucked Jaime's necklace in his front shirt pocket. "I saw a hotel about fifteen minutes back down a road called lovelock and woodale."

"We'll go by Jaime's house in the morning and sort this whole thing out." Xander informed him as he walked past Jesse and started towards the car. "And you'll see that she's not a zombie and that she's just a normal girl."

If both of them had of stayed only a minute longer they would have seen Jaime duck her head off from behind a tree. Looking at their retreating forms, she smiled to herself before fading away into the darkness.

* * *

Xander opened his eyes, a scream on his lips, the only sound in the stillness of his hotel room. He had a nightmare about his life...no not his life but that of a girls. A girl that was being chastised, called horrible names, and then hit by a dark colored car and left for dead on the side of a road. But the strangest thing was he didn't just see those things happening, it was more like he was the girl himself and he went through what she did. He also had a strange feeling about the girl and even though he didn't see her face in the dream he still felt as though he was supposed to have known her.

"Hey Xand you okay?" Jesse asked worriedly, as he emerged out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and a tooth brush in his mouth. "I heard you screaming."

"I...I just had a nightmare." Xander replied shakily and a little out of breath as he sat up in the small twin bed. Staring at the puke green walls, he got his bearings and finally remembered where he was.

The "hotel" was a run down place with cockroaches crawling everywhere and hookers almost in every other room.

"It must've been a hell of a dream man." Jesse said as he walked back into the bathroom and spat out the toothpaste in the sink. "Because you screamed like you were downright terrified."

"I'll tell you about it later." Xander informed him as he stood out of bed and streched. "Let's go ahead and get some breakfast first and then we'll head over to Jaime's house and give her back her stuff."

With that said Xander started to get ready, not knowing that today was going to be one of the most strangest days of his life.

* * *

"That's the place." Jesse informed Xander as they pulled up towards a quaint little two story brick house in the burbs. It wasn't the best looking neighborhood compared to all the other places they had to drive through to get here, but it was still far better then what they were used to in Sunnydale.

"Yeah it is." Xander replied as he hopped out of the passengers side and grabbed Jaime's jacket. "Now come on let's get this over with."

After a couple of knocks on the door, a sad looking middle aged woman answered the door. Xander could tell that she was once a beautiful woman, which left him to wonder what happened to her to make her life go down so bad.

"Yes, can I help you boys?" she asked as she looked from Jesse to Xander in turn.

"Um, yes ma'am." Jesse started as he handed her Jaime's jacket. "We picked up your daughter Jaime last night and she left her jacket and necklace behind." as she took the coat, her eyes started to mist over and she clutched the jacket a little closer to her body.

"How dare you!" she suddenly screamed, body trembling. "What kind of sick joke are you playing? My daughter died from a hit and run a month and a half ago." and with that revelation, Miss Mercer stormed back in her house and slammed her door.

"That went well." Xander commented as he walked away from the door and headed back towards the car.

"See man I told you, zombie."

Before Xander could say anything, his cellphone rang. As he answered it he heard the most raspy voice he'd ever heard in his life.

"What? I don't understand you." he said over the static of the phone. "Speak up."

"Who is that man?" Jesse asked as he reached for the phone, only for Xander to turn and slap his hand away. Trying again he turned the phone and leaned up against Xander so they could hear a distorted woman's voice give them a cryptic message."

"You're...you're going in the wrong direction. Josh...Josh Thompson knows."

"Know's what!" Xander shouted into the phone, but all that answered him was static. "Damnit!" he cursed again as he hung up the phone.

"Call me crazy but that sounded a little like Jamie." Jesse commented as Xander put his cellphone in his front shirt pocket.

"Fine, you're crazy." Xander said with a shake of his head as he opened the door to his car and got in.

"I'm serious man." Jesse said as he got in the passengers side. "Something strange is going on and..."

"Jesse listen, I didn't come on this trip to do any of this supernatural stuff. All I wanted to do was spend some time with you before you went off to college."

"Xander look, do you remember that promise we made shortly after we met Buffy?" he asked only for Xander to look down at the steering wheel. "Whenever we met somebody that was in trouble..."

"We would help them out no matter what." Xander finished for him.

"Yeah. Now I don't know if Jaime is a zombie or not but I could feel that she was an innocent. And you have to admit that you felt the same way too."

"Yeah." Xander said under his breath as he looked up at him. "Now where do we start first?"

"In the phone book."

* * *

Jesse's suggestion to look in the phone book turned out to be fruitful because there was only one listing for a Thompson in it. Driving into a nice neighborhood, they pulled up the curb of a beautiful two story brick house.

"This is the place." Jesse said as he got out of the car and checked the address that he had gotten from the phone book. "1966 Maple Drive."

"Let's just check this guy out and get out of here." Xander replied as he walked up the driveway and saw a dark red mustang sitting under the garage.

"Whoa that's sweet." Jesse said running his hand down the hood of it.

"Yeah, but it's had a little body work done." Xander said squatting down in front of it.

"How can you tell?" Jesse asked, giving him a wierd look. He couldn't see a spot of damage on it at all.

"Because my Uncle Roary used to fix on cars all the time." Xander said standing up. "He showed me a few things to look for so I know." he finished as he walked towards the front of the house and knocked on the door. They only had a short wait until a boy about their age, with spikey brown hair and baggy jeans answered the door.

"Yeah, can I help you two with something?" he asked as he looked between the two.

"I'm..."

"My name is Dean and this is my brother Lavelle." Jesse cut Xander off. "And we're reporters for the local newspaper."

"Um so what do you want with me?" Josh asked nervously, as his hand started to tremble. It was an action that didn't get past Xander and Jesse.

"Well we're investigating the murder of a girl named Jaime Mercer and we have it on good authority that you were the last one to see her alive."

"I don't know the girl!" Josh all but yelled out. "Now leave me alone!" and with that he slammed the door in their faces.

"That wasn't a little suspicious." Jesse commented.

"Let's go back to the hotel and figure out what we're gonna do next." Xander said as he headed back to the car. "Because this guy is definately guilty of something."

"Yeah, but how are we gonna prove it?" Jesse asked as he fell into step behind him.

"Like I said we'll figure out something." he replied as he hopped into his car. "And what was up with using our middle names? Especially mine, you know I hate the name Lavelle."

"Yeah it would've been real smart to give a killer our real names." Jesse said with a roll of his eyes. "And I think I was wrong about the whole Jaime being a zombie thing."

"How do you figure?" Xander asked as he put the car in drive and started back towards the hotel.

"Because I thought back to last night when we saw her grave and the ground wasn't disturbed."

"Which means she didn't come up out of her grave."

"Which leaves the only other thing she could be. She had to be a ghost."

"You've really been spending to much time with Giles." Xander joked as he turned down a side street. "You're starting to sound like him."

"Haha, laugh it up. Giles is boring but he comes up with some good stuff." before Xander could further tease him, he saw some blue lights flashing behind them. Looking in his rear view mirror he saw a cop car speeding up behind the car. Not knowing what he had done wrong, he pulled the car over to the side of the road and cut off it's engine.

"What's going on?" Jesse asked as he looked back and saw the cop getting out of his squad car and quickly walking up to the car.

"We're about to find out." Xander replied as the officer stopped beside them. He was a tall man, probably in his late thirties with graying hair.

"License and registration please?"

"What seems to be the problem officer?" Xander asked as he handed over his ID.

"I need to see your identification too son." the officer said, deliberately ignoring Xander's question.

"I think my friend here had a valid question sir." Jesse said as he handed over his license. "Why did you pull us over?"

"Because I recieved a complaint about two boys named Dean and Lavelle harrassing someone a few moments ago." the officer replied as he looked at them both in turn. "Now how much do you want to bet that if I run these Id's that I'll find that neither of you work for the local paper?"

"I'll bet that you won't find anything." Xander said as he swallowed some spit.

"Good. Now I don't want any trouble here so I would suggest that you boys leave my town by the end of the day." he said giving them their Id's back.

* * *

"Xander you can't seriously think about leaving." Jesse said to him as Xander started to pack his clothes back in his duffle.

"The man with the shiny gun said to leave town so I'm leaving." he said as he threw a few shirts on his bed.

"That man is also Josh's dad."

"What?" Xander asked as he looked up from his bag to his best friend.

"Didn't you read his name badge? It said officer Thompson on it."

"It could've just been a coincidence."

"No it's not remember? There was only one listing for a Thompson in the phone book, so they have to be related."

"Hey you're right. So that's how he responded to that call so fast."

"And that's exactly why we have to stay and find out what's going on."

"I knew you were gonna say something like that." Xander replied as he threw his bag back down.

"But where do we go from here?"

"I already thought of that." Xander said walking to the door. "We're going to the library."

Later That Day

To both of the boys surprise, going to the library actually turned out to be fruitful in their investigation. Jesse, using some computer skills Willow had taught him, broke into some of the local coroner's reports and the police database on Jaime and found out that the police didn't even do a thorough invesigation on her hit and run. It was like they didn't even care about her. Like she was merely trash.

"Hey was somebody messing with your car?" Jesse asked as they passed it in the parking lot. The library was so close that the two decided to walk.

"Hey you're right." he replied as he saw that the hood of it seemed slightly up.

"I see you boys haven't left my town yet?" a voice asked from behind them.

"Jesus!" Jesse yelled as he turned around and saw the sheriff smirking at them. "You scared us."

"Not as much as I'm going too." he said as he took out his gun and looked around to see if anyone was watching. "Now let's go to your room. Now!"

Putting up their hands, Xander and Jesse walked obediently back to their rooms and as they opened the door they saw Josh standing in their room nervously pacing.

"Yeah dad that's them." he immediately said as he looked up and saw the sheriff enter the room.

"Yeah, I know." he said as he closed the door behind him. "Now did you check out the other room to make sure nobody was in there?"

"Yeah, there's nobody else here but us."

"What's...what's going on?" Jesse asked as he turned back and looked at the sheriff.

"What's going on boy is that you two should've left town when I told you too." he replied as he lifted up his gun. "Now I have to kill the both of you."

"Why?" Xander asked, stalling for time.

"Don't play dumb with me boy!" Sheriff Thompson growled out as he took a gun out of his back holster and threw it too his son. "Now sit back on that bed." he told Jesse and not looking to see if he followed his directions he looked too Xander. "And you stand over there."

As soon as Xander moved to the spot the sheriff told him to stand, he quickly scooped up a pillow, forcefully made Jesse lie down on the bed and put said pillow on his head.

"Oh God!" Jesse cried out, scared for his life.

"Shut up." the Sheriff said as he put the gun to the pillow so it would muffle the sound of the blast. Pulling the hammer back on the gun, he was about to pull the trigger when he suddenly heard a noise coming from the bathroom. "I thought you said you checked the other room?"

"I did." Josh replied, hunching up his shoulders.

"Well go check it again." his father ordered. Hefting up the gun Josh walked over to the door and saw that it was slightly ajar. There was light coming through the crack between the door and the frame and when his eyes focused he saw somebody standing behind the door. She was watching them.

"No..." Josh said as he inched away from the door. "You're supposed to be dead?"

"Who are you talking too?" Sheriff Thompson asked his son as he walked away from Jesse, but still kept his gun trained on them as he made his way over to the door.

Moving his son out of the way he forcefully kicked the bathroom door in and nearly fell over himself as he saw the bloody, ghostly image of Jaime looking up at him. Xander and Jesse gave each other curious glances because they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"You stupid little bitch!" he growled out. "My son killed you. You're dead!" he yelled out as he squeezed the trigger, unloading about three slugs that passed through her body. Not believing his eyes, because she was still standing he was about to fire off another round until someone kicked in the door to the room.

"Everybody Freeze!"

Startled the Sheriff turned around firing and was shot down by one of his own police officers.

"Stay where you are." the lead officer said as more of them filed into the room.

"Believe me, that's not a problem sir." Xander said with his hands up.

"He's dead Sarge." another officer said checking out the Sheriff.

"I figured as much." Sargent Belmont said as he looked around the room. "Now all I want to know is what the hell is going on?"

Shadow Valley Police Departmet

Interrogation Room

"Sheriff Thompson's son confessed to everything." Sargent Belmont said to Xander and Jesse as he walked around them, in the cramped little room. He still couldn't believe that the Sheriff was a dirty cop, but here was the evidence in black and white. All the doctored up files and the half ass investigations. All of it. He couldn't really say that he liked the man much, but he respected the hell out of him. But now...

And according to what his son had planned after they killed Jesse and Xander, they were planning on framing them for the murder of Jaime Mercer. According too Josh, his father was planning on paying off a hooker to say she overheard the two talking about killing Jaime and when the Sheriff went to go and investigate he had no choice but too shoot them both because they had guns and were shooting at him.

"So the both of you are free to go."

"There's still one thing that I don't understand." Jesse said standing to his feet. "Why did you guys come to the hotel when you did?"

"That's a funny story." Belmont said as he sat at his desk. "A girl called the police station a couple of hours ago and told me that she knew where the killer of Jaime Mercer was." he said leading them out of the room and into the main lobby. And as they walked out they saw Jaime's mother sitting alone by the front desk.

"Now what?" Xander mumbled under his breath as she looked up and quickly walked over to them. Her giving the both of them a hug however was completely unexpected.

"Thank the both of you for what you've done." she started as she pulled away from them. "I think my daughter can rest now that her killer is in prison."

"I'm still sorry about the way we came to your house earlier." Jesse apologized. "I...we had no idea that..."

"No I should be the one apologizing." she interrupted. "I still don't understand how you two thought my daughter was still alive but..."

"I'm so glad I caught up to you two boys." a pudgy police officer said out of breath as he ran up to them.

"Wayne what's wrong with you?" Belmont asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"And I probably would be if these two had've started their car."

"What are you talking about?" Xander asked, confused.

"When we towed your car to the impound after you were arrested, I saw that the hood was open. So I looked inside and I saw that a bomb had been placed on the side of the engine."

"I guess the Sheriff wanted to make sure we didn't get out of town alive." Jesse said aloud. 'He must've thought of blowing us up, but then later thought up to frame us for murder.'

"Well can't you guys just take it off?" Xander asked.

"I'm sorry but the bomb squad tried and the car exploded. We did manage to get the last of your stuff out before that though." he said sympathetically as he handed Xander a black bag.

"Fuck! How are we gonna get home now?" Xander asked no one in paticular.

"I could arrange for you to be escorted back home." Belmont suggested.

"And I have a better idea." Miss Mercer said as she went into her purse and handed Xander a set of keys.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Just consider it a present." she said as she led them outside and up to a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala.

"Whoa." Jesse said as he ran up to it.

"It belonged to my late husband Johnathan. I was going to pass it down to Jaime after graduation but now..."

"I appreciate this but we can't accept this car."

"You can't but I will." Jesse said snatching the keys out of his hand and running back to the car.

"Please take it. I can feel in my heart that Jaime would have wanted it this way."

Xander was about to refuse the offer one more time, but he saw that by the look in her eyes that she wasn't going to give in. Besides he lost one car, so it was only fitting to get another one right?

"Here's my address." she said going into her purse and handing him a card. "Whenever you get where you're going, send me a letter and I'll transfer my tags and information over to you."

"Until then don't worry about the police pulling you over." Belmont spoke up as he handed him a card as well. "Because if they do, just give me a call and I'll explain to them what happened."

"Thanks." Xander said, putting the cards in his pocket. "To the both of you."

"Come on Miss Mercer. I'll escort you home." Belmont said and saying their final goodbyes, the two walked off.

"Hey Jess." Xander said as he looked in the front seat and saw Jesse playing with the steering wheel. "Pop the trunk, so I can throw our stuff in the back." as he did what he asked, Xander walked to the back of the car and threw the bag in. When he did he noticed a latch on the carpeted part of the trunk floor. Curious he opened it and his eyes bugged out at what he saw.

"Hey Jess, I don't think you have to worry about your gun collection."

"Why?" he asked as he stepped out of the car and joined Xander in bucking out his eyes. There in the trunk of the car was a secret compartment that held over a dozen weapons in it. Weapons that ranged from, shotguns to glocks to a silver and black colt 45.

Looking back in the direction of where Miss Mercer was going, they finally realized why they heard the name Mercer before. Her husband had to have been the famous bounty hunter Johnathan Mercer. The one they had read about in the paper, as little kids.

* * *

"So where are we headed now?" Jesse asked as he and Xander got back on the highway.

"I don't know. I was thinking about going too..." before he could complete his sentence, his cell phone rang loudly startling them both. "Jesus." he said, his heart pounding before answering the phone. "Hello."

"Thank you." came Jaime's raspy voice from the other end. Before Xander could say a word the phone filled with static and hung up.

"Who was that man?" Jesse asked, as he looked over to see Xander smiling to himself.

"Just a friend." he whispered as he put the phone back into his shirt pocket. Jesse just smiled at him knowingly, as he turned back around and looked out at the dissolate open highway.

"So where did you say you wanted to go again?"

"I was thinking Arizona." Xander replied as he pressed down on the gas, speeding away finally glad to see the Now leaving California sign, zooming away behind them.

If the two had've looked in the rearview mirror they would've seen the ghostly apparition of Jaime standing in the middle of the highway smiling, looking beautiful again. She was finally free. As it started to rain, she put the hood from her school jacket over her head before turning around and vanishing into thin air.

A/N Sorry for taking so long to update. Finally chapter one is out of the way and I'm looking forward to starting on chapter two. So please review and tell me what you think or if you have questions then ask away.

Please Review...


	3. Chapter 2 Return of the Knight

A/N This isn't a resident evil crossover, but rather a story named Whispers in the Dark that I was planning on making a book about five years ago. Needless to say my book never took off, so instead of leaving my characters stuck in limbo I decided to use them for this. Also the theme of this chapter is from the book as well.

So the characters of Dark Coat/ Donovan, Sal, Shawn Harris, Deena Watanabe, Shane and Katherine Wilkins belong to me.

Chapter 2

Return of the Knight

The Outskirts Of Pheonix Arizona

Night

"God, I love this car." Jesse mumbled to himself as he looked out the side window and saw the classic scenary of the arizona desert. If they hurried they could make it too Pheonix in less than two hours.

"Yeah, now shut up about it." Xander said with a yawn as he woke up and looked over at him. "Besides it'll be my turn to drive again in the next fifteen minutes."

"Spoil sport." Jesse replied with a mock pout as something ran in front of the car. "Fuck!" Jesse and Xander yelled in unison.

Jesse hit the brakes and swerved, shocked out of playfulness, as he struggled for control of the car. The brakes finally locked and there was a screech of rubber that sounded more like a scream. The Impala turned and the front end faced the trees that lined the road, before finally stopping with a shuttering lurch.

"What the hell was that?" Xander asked, both of their hearts pounding.

"I...I don't know." Jesse replied out of breath. "I...I think it was a dog or a coyote or something."

"I've never seen a slimey dog before."

"May...maybe it was already hit." Jesse suggested.

"You're shaking like a leaf man." Xander commented as he looked over at Jesse and then out of the window at a sign the car had stopped near that read Tipton County 10. "Get out, I'm going to drive us to the nearest town so we can get some rest. We'll make a fresh start towards Pheonix tomorrow."

As the two got out and traded places and drove off, a pack of "dogs" came out of the shadows. Their red and maggot ridden eyes watched them drive off until they couldn't see them anymore, before they padded along in search of their next meal.

Kelso's Gas

Twenty Minutes Later

"Are you coming in?" Xander asked as he stopped by the pumps for gas.

"Yeah, I think I could go for a little snack."

Walking into the gas station, Xander waved to the elderly attendant before he and Jesse walked down the snack aisle. Picking out some Twinkies, chips, and other candy they were about to walk up to the counter when the ding of the bell above the door sounded. Looking up they saw a man with dirty bloody looking clothes and stringy hair enter the station.

"Hey buddy, we don't serve bums here." the attendant yelled out as the man walked closer to him. "Can you understand english buddy? I said..."

Not giving him a chance to complete his sentence, the man jumped over the counter and started to bite deep into the attendants flesh making him scream. Immediately jumping to the attendants aide Xander and Jesse roughly tore the bum away from him and pushed him so hard that he exploded through the side window.

"That maniac bit me." the older man said as Jesse ran outside.

"Oh man." Xander said as he grabbed a terry towel off of a shelf and wrapped it around the man's bloody arm.

"Thank you." he said as he applied pressure to his arm. "My names Sal by the way."

"Xander." Xander replied. "Sorry about your window." he said as Jesse ran back into the shop.

"That guys gone." he announced as he walked back up to him. "What kind of guy bites on people?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"I don't know but I'm calling the cops." Xander said as he took out his cell phone and dialed the number. "Damn, I'm not getting a signal."

"And strangely enough the phones have been dead all day." Sal informed them. "Don't worry about it anyway that guys long gone."

"It doesn't matter I'm still gonna go into town and get you some help." he replied as he and Jesse walked to the door.

"Don't forget your purchases." Sal said as Xander walked back to the counter.

"How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it. Just take it."

"Well atleast let me pay for the window and I'm gonna need at least twenty dollars worth of gas."

"Son, I'm the owner of this gas station." Sal told Xander proudly. "And after what you did for me free gas isn't even an issue."

"Thanks." Xander said walking back to the door and then he remembered something. "Hey Sal take this." he said throwing something on the counter. Picking up the crucifix, Sal stared at the boy strangely.

"It's just incase that guy comes back." he said and was out the door.

"Are we really going into town or do you want to hunt down that vamp?" Jesse asked as they walked to the pumps and he started to pump gas.

"That vamp looked like he was just a newbie." Xander said as he thought about all the mud and dirt on it. "We probably scared him away and it'll probably be better if we go into town and get an ambulance or something for him anyway."

"Alright, I'll drive." Jesse said as he got into the drivers side. Little did they know but it wasn't a vampire at all, but something else all together. They were just about to step into their next adventure.

* * *

"Have you noticed that we haven't seen any people around town?" Jesse asked after a few minutes of driving. The streets were barren, with nothing more than papers floating around. "According to the brochure, Arizona is supposed to be a pretty happening place."

"The brochure said Pheonix was supposed to be a pretty happening place." Xander corrected looking out of the window at all of the abandoned cars and the lights shut off in all of the buildings. Something just didn't feel right. The city looked ugly somehow. "But you're right. It's only eleven o'clock so somebody should be out at this time of..."

Their conversation died as they saw someone laying face first on the road. As the car's headlight's illuminated the body they saw the blue dress of a woman billowing in the wind.

"Stay here, I'm going to check things out." Xander said as Jesse screeched the car to a halt about twenty feet from the body, so he could get out to investigate.

"She's cold." Xander yelled back to Jesse as he reached down to see if the raven haired woman had a pulse. "What the hell is wrong with this city?" 'First somebody hits a stray dog, then some guy get's bitten, now this...'

As the wind shifted a foul odor filled the air. In fact it smelled distinctly like shit. As Xander started to gag, he heard a soft moan. Looking up he saw some people shuffling out of neighboring alleys. He was relieved to see more people at first, but as he looked at them closer he saw something that didn't look too human about them at all.

One of them had blood all over his shirt and hands. And dripping out of another one's mouth was a thick foam of blood, that came out of his pasty rotting face. The rest all seemed to happen in slow motion. Jesse jumped out of the car, let the trunk of it up, grabbed a twelve gauge and started to blast into the group that started to shuffle towards them.

Suddenly Xander heard a soft moan, the only difference being that it seemed closer then before. Looking back Xander saw that the woman that he thought was dead was about to grab his leg. As if on instinct, he brought his leg up and stomped down on the dead woman's head. He struggled not to vomit as he heard the sickening crunch of the ladies head caving in or from the sight of the sticky blood that now stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

"Xand come on!" he heard Jesse yell out. Looking around he saw Jesse running towards the mouth of an alley. Wondering why he didn't just get back in the car, he saw that over a dozen zombies were blocking the route to it.

"Damnit!" he growled as he ran towards where Jesse was waiting. "Man this is a dead end." Xander said looking further down the alley.

"I see that flaw in my plan now." Jesse commented as he blasted off another shot into the crowd that tried to pile into the entrance. "This looks like the end man."

"Hey you down there!" they heard a girl's voice yell out. Blasting off another shot, Xander and Jesse looked up and saw a blonde haired girl hanging her head out of a small window about a floor up. "Run further down this alley and you'll see a door. We'll let you in."

Watching the undead try to climb over the bodies of those that had fallen, Xander and Jesse chose that time to run. As they got to the door the girl was talking about, it opened and a pretty black girl about their age, with long hair wearing all black pointed a silver and black magnum at them.

"Were any of you bitten?" she asked quickly, as she altered pointing the gun between them.

"No now let us in!" Jesse yelled as the cries of the dead filled their ears. Letting out a heavy sigh, she lowered her gun and stepped aside as they practically leaped into the warehouse. As soon as she closed the door they heard loud banging on the other side.

"Man that was close." Xander said standing to his feet.

"We're not out of danger yet." Jesse pointed out as the girl pointed her gun at them again.

"Deena put your gun down." the girl who hung her head out of the window said as she ran up to them. "I think they're safe."

"And I want to make sure they're safe." Deena replied as she glared at the two of them.

"Look we weren't bit okay. Me and my bud were just driving through town and we were attacked." Jesse told them both. "Now what the hell is going on?"

"Hey Kat, what's up with all the...Alex?" a teenage boy asked as he walked into the room with another boy that looked to be about ten. It took Xander a minute to make out who it was.

"Shawn?" Xander asked as he walked over and gave him a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I moved here a few years ago with my dad." Shawn replied as they broke away from each other. "Now what are you doing here?"

"Taking a road trip with my best bud Jesse." Xander said pointing behind himself. "Don't you remember him?"

"Am I supposed too?" Jesse asked as he walked past Xander and looked at Shawn hard. He was tall, had short brown hair, was well muscled wearing all black like Deena and there was just something about his face that seemed... "Shawn, yeah I do remember you." he said as memories started to flood through his mind. "You're that little skinny kid me and Xander used to beat up every summer when we were kids."

"Hey I'm not a little kid anymore." Shawn said mockingly as he huffed his chest out.

"So you're the guy that Shawn said he wanted to come and live with?" Kat asked as she walked up to Xander. "You never said how cute he was Shawn."

"Why did you want to come and live with me?" Xander asked his cousin, hurtful memories coming forth. The reason he stopped coming by all those summers ago from out of town was because his father started to drink and get very abusive. And one day he abused Shawn and he didn't come over any more. "And what the hell is going on in this town?"

* * *

"This all started about two days ago." Shawn started the story as the whole group sat around in a circle. With the exception of Deena, who was standing on top of a ladder, looking out of the tiny window above the door for any sign of trouble. "My dad called from the station early one morning and told me to cut on the news. When I did the news reporter said that a horde of infected people were headed into town and that we should stay in our houses. I remember that he was about to repeat the message and somebody jumped him and I had to watch as some dirty decomposed thing started to eat his face off."

"I was watching the same broadcast in my room." Deena said as she walked over, giving them the sign that the coast was clear outside. "I thought it was fake, but what happened to me after that made me believe."

Flashback

Two Days Before

Rain thundered on the windows of a large victorian house as a sudden crash from downstairs woke a bald black man up from his sleep.

"What the fuck was that ?" Carl asked himself as he jumped out of bed, put on a t-shirt and headed towards his bedroom door. Instead of going downstairs to check on the noise, he turned right in the hallway and went into another room and closed the door behind him.

"I better get one of my guns!" he grunted as he went into his gun cabinet and pulled out a modified .22 caliber magnum and started to load it. He dropped one of the bullets when he heard a foot land on the first step making a loud creaking noise.

"So he doesn't want to steal anything downstairs does he?" Carl said as he loaded his gun. Another foot landed on the other step, as well as a loud moan.

"What the hell, did he just moan?" he said aloud as he walked out of the room holding his gun in front of him. Behind him a door opened and Deena stepped out wearing a t-shirt and panties.

"Hey dad what's with all the noise?" she asked with a yawn as she rubbed at her eyes. Startled the man turned around and aimed the gun at her.

"Damn, Deena you almost gave me a heart attack!" he said as he lowered his gun to his side.

"Dad what's going on ?" Deena asked as she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"I don't know. I think there is a burgular coming up the steps." He said as he aimed his gun back down at the staircase. "Listen..." He said as he turned around to face Deena. "Go in your room and wait for me to come and get you."

"But dad..."

Another moan followed by two footsteps.

"No but's Deena just do what I say." he said not taking his eyes off the stairs.

Knowing that even after twenty years of life that she still couldn't win an argument with her father she turned around and went back into her room. After he made sure she was safe he ran down the hallway and flipped the light switch on.

Now the whole hallway was lit up, it was a very small hallway, with a railing in front of him and a window to the left of him. Another crash sounded downstairs. It was so loud and terrifying that it made him so nervous that he dropped his gun.

"Shit!" he said as he picked up his gun. He was about to run to the staircase but as he looked up a figure with outstretched arms was almost at the top of the stairs. Before he could make out who it was the lights went out.

"Dad, what happened to the power?" came Deena's voice from her room.

"I don't know but whatever you do stay in there." he said a he cocked his gun and slowly started walking to the staircase.

A lightning flash illuminated the room and the hallway for a second, that was long enough for him to see what was shambling towards him. Its seemed to be decaying and cuts and scars covered nearly every inch of it's face.

As the thing saw Carl it let out a loud moan and started to walk towards him.

"Stay back I have a gun!" Carl said as he aimed his gun at the thing that was approaching him.

The figure didn't seem to notice what he said, because he could hear it still heading towards him. Lightning illuminated the hallway again and Carl quickly dodged a pair of arms reaching out for him. He saw another figure heading towards him and more footsteps downstairs.

"Damn it." Carl said as he shot his gun at the closet figure to him. The figure hit by the magnum blast flew backwards into the other one. "Man that was close." Carl said as he lowered his gun.

The lights flickered back on and the figure that he'd shot was violently twitching on the ground on its stomach or what was left of it. The other figure stood up from where it fell and slowly walked towards him.

"Oh my God!" Carl said as he started to walk backwards. He finally took a good look at the intruders that had entered his house. "Zombies!" he whispered under his breath as one approached him and grabbed his arm.

"No you don't!" he yelled as he jerked his arm free.

Carl took another step back and started shooting at the zombie that tried to grab him. One bullet went through the zombies chest and two more in his stomach but it was still walking towards him.

"What do I have to do to put that thing down ?" Carl said as a thought hit him. Just like in the movies. With that he took careful aim and shot the zombie in the head.

Blood and brain matter hit the wall as the zombies head exploded and it's body slowly sank to the ground. Before he could celebrate killing the zombie two more walked up the stairs and looked at him with hungry eyes. Taking careful aim again he raised his gun at the nearest zombie and pulled the trigger.

Click! Click!

'Damn I'm out of bullets!' his mind screamed at him as one of the zombies was now two feet in front of him.

As he turned towards the gun room to get more bullets he felt two hands grab his clothes. He tried to pull free but the thing came with him and he landed on the ground. He tried to get up but the zombie was lying on his legs, he felt the hands grab his sides above his hips and he felt the nails dig in.

"Aaah!" he screamed as the zombie bit a large chunk of flesh out of his thigh.

Finally managing to kick the zombie away, four more showed up in the hallway. With wide eyes Carl sat there as they slowly started to lurch towards him.

"Deena! Deena! Listen to me. Climb out your window and head to another house to get help!" he yelled.

"But Dad I can't leave you!" she yelled back through the wall.

"Please baby. I can't explain it but the dead are walking around. Now go!" he screamed back at her as more of the undead piled in while tripping over one another as they tried to make it towards their meal. "GO NOW!" he commanded

"Okay, I love you dad." she told him.

"I love you too and I swear to God baby I'll try to make it back to you." he replied "NOW GO!" he screamed once more. He heard the sound of her opening her window.

"Please Deena just live... live for me." he whispered as a few more undead flooded in, moaning and reaching out for him.

* * *

Deena got onto the balcony and looked around, and saw that it was still raining. She tried not to slip down the balcony as she lowered herself down onto a ladder, which had been put there for painting. She looked around and saw two figures emerging from the other side of her house. She looked left and saw a light on in one of her neighbors houses.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" A blood curdling scream sounded from upstairs in her house.

"Dad!" she cried out.

Obeying her fathers last wish, she turned and headed towards the other house in the heavy rain.

As she ran through the wet grass and mud towards the other house, she heard a noise behind her. She quickly turned to see a zombie reaching out for her. She let out a scream and grabbed the zombies arm and in one fluid motion she twisted it and broke it at the elbow. The zombie let out a low moan after she back handed it in the face and it fell to the ground. Another zombie quickly ran up behind her. Sensing it she snapped out a low kick that hit it in the stomach, knocking it off balance and onto the ground.

Suddenly the window from the house with the light on opened. And Shawn's head popped out.

"Hey, you need help?" he asked.

"Yeah - what the hell does it look like?" she screamed back.

"Come around I'll open the door, they haven't managed to break through our place yet. " he yelled.

She quickly darted away from the zombies as they got up and tried reaching for her again.

She ran towards the gate of his house and quickly ran through. As she got on the other side there was an old lady standing in front of her. She was about to say something to the woman until she turned around and saw her face. One side of her face had sunk into her head as blood poured out of her mouth. Gasping in horror she ran pass the old ladies outstreched hands and ran to the door and waited. She could hear pounding footsteps coming down the stairwell and then a light flicked on.

The door opened and the man stepped out of the way to let her in, just as an arm reached around for her. He closed the door, locked the locks back, moved a dresser in front of the door and turned off the light.

"Follow me" he said heading up the stairs. She followed behind him panting as they entered a room.

"So what's your name, I didn't catch it all the times I'd seen you before with your dad?" he asked. She shuddered when she remembered that scream coming from her father.

"My name is Deena. Deena Watanabe." she introduced herself.

"Watanabe? Isn't that name japanese?" he asked as he looked at her up and down.

"Yeah it is." she said looking back at him. "And before you ask anything else I'm half Black, half Japanese." She went on.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." He said as he raised his hands to shake hers. "My names Shawn Harris." He said as they shook hands.

Shawn jestured toward the bathroom after he saw that she was dripping wet and shivering from the cold.

"Deena if you want you can go take a hot shower and I'll go get you some of my sisters clothes for you to wear. She's off to college out of town so I know she wouldn't mind."

"Thanks, do you have any towels?" she asked as she moved towards the bathroom door.

"Yeah theres some already in the bathroom." He said as he walked out of the room and came back with some clothes and shoes in his hands.

"Here, you should be able to fit them." He said as he handed the clothes over to her.

"Thanks again!" she smiled, which she hadn't done in a while. All her life she had been training in many forms of self defense and her Sensai had always told her to detach from her emotions. But now...

"No problem, I'll be in here if you need me." With that she turned and walked into the bathroom.

Shawn sat on his bed and was loading one of his dad's 9mm's when he heard the shower turn off. He looked towards his door, which he had left open, then he looked back to the gun he held in his hand.

"God I hope we can make it to the police station." He said to himself.

The bathroom door opened and Deena came out dressed in black jeans and a black t-shirt with the word angel written on it in red letters. As she came into the room he couldn't help but stare at her. He couldn't help but look at her beautiful hazel eyes 'Man Deena is so beautiful.' he thought to himself. The woman stood in the doorway was gorgeous, with glossy, jet-black hair that flowed down onto her shoulders framing a high-boned face containing a pair of knowing liquid brown eyes and thick pouty lips parted in a cocksure grin.

Deena in turn stared back at him. She hadn't noticed how cute he was before. He had short dirty brown hair, he was muscular built, and was ruggedly handsome. She also noticed that he changed from wearing a red shirt and blue jeans to wearing all black.

"Going somewhere?" She asked as she dropped her towel to the floor and walked over to him.

"Yeah were going to the police station." He said as he began to put on some shoes.

"The police station why don't you just call?" she asked as she folded her arms waiting for an explaination.

"Because the phone lines are down." he replied not looking up at her.

BOOOOOOMMMM!

A large explosion sounded outside and both of them ran to the window to see what happened. A car crashed into the side of a near by house and caused a fire. But what happened next shocked the both of them. Some people came shambling out from behind the house the car hit and walked up to the burning car. One of the figures slammed into the window and pulled out a unconscious woman on the passenger side. As the woman lay motionless on the ground the man fell on top of her biting down on her neck. The man pulled his head up with blood on his mouth as the other figures joined him in his meal.

"What the hell are those people doing?" Deena asked as she moved away from the window.

"Those aren't people, at least not anymore, they're zombies." He said as he sat on his bed and picked up his twin 9mm's.

"Zombies ! What the hell are you talking about?" She asked now sitting down next to him on the bed.

"You've got to be kidding me, haven't you been watching the news ?" he asked as he picked up the remote control and turned on the tv. The news mans frantic words leapt out.

"To all citizens this is not a false broadcast, their is a disease infected hord of people heading your way, they are seeming to be the "Walking dead" they are coming from the west toward this town. I advise all people to head to your nearest shelter, and those within the immediate area of the hord should lock all doors and board up windows and glass doors." Then the newscaster put his hand up to his earpiece before continuing.

"This just in, it seems that the zombies have destroyed the following police stations." he paused before he continued.

"Police stations 5561 and 5678 and the reports show that there were no survivors." The t.v was suddenly cut off.

"Hey what did you do that for." Deena asked as she looked over at Shawn.

"My Dad!" he said looking as if he was on the verge of crying.

"What about your dad?" Deena asked even though she felt that he probably met the same fate as her own father.

"My Dad is a Detective at the TCPD and he was called to the police station early this morning. But before he left he told me to meet him at police station # 5678 if things got to bad." He let out a long breath before continuing.

"And as you could hear on the news nobody survived." he said as a tear rolled down the side of his cheek. Grasping his now trembling hand Deena moved close to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Hey your dad might still be alive ok!" Deena said as she broke their hug.

"Yeah you're right." he said even though he didn't believe it.

"The thing is what do we do now?" She asked. He sat there for a moment, lost in thought before it hit him on what to do.

"We are going to leave the city." he said as he stood up and grabbed both 9mm guns.

"Leave?" she asked with a look of shock on her face."We wont even make it a mile with those pea shooters." she said pointing at the 9mm's in his hands.

"Hey you got a better idea?" he asked, his temper flaring. Deena was taken aback by his sudden attitude change before she continued to speak.

"Yeah I have a better idea. My dad was a gun collector, so we could go to my house get tons of weapons and ammo and then try to leave the city." she said. Before speaking he walked up to the window and looked outside.

"Ok we'll go to your house and get the weapons. The zombies outside are too busy eating the people from the car crash, so we shouldn't have a problem going outside." he said as he walked up to her.

"Do you know how to use one of these." he said as he handed her a gun. She looked up at him and grinned.

"I said my dad was a weapons collector, of course I know how to use a gun."

He could see how her face saddened when she mentioned her father and her constant use of the word was confirmed that her father must be dead. Not wanting to press the issue of how her father died he grinned back at her before moving to the door.

"Come on then we have alot of work to do before we can get out of the city." he said. She quickly stood up off of the bed and ran behind him as they made it out of the house.

End Flashback

"After that me and Deena went to her dad's house." Shawn continued. "We couldn't figure out his combination to the safe but we were still able to gather a few weapons. After that I hot wired a car and I guess Harris luck kicked in, because we ran out of gas. We killed a few more zombies and we ended up at this warehouse, where we met up with them."

After he explained that Xander and Jesse learned that the little boy, Shane, was Katherine's little brother and that their parents had just recently died from a disease. And when the attack with the zombies happened their parents had woken up, now the undead, forcing Katherine to have too shoot them both.

Learning that fact, Xander looked over at her and saw the girl smiling. Upon looking at her closer though, especially in her eyes, he saw that she was hurting deeply because of what she had to do. He felt that she was only keeping up the front of being happy because, she was scared of totally losing it, even though she wanted to do just that. And looking down at her ten year old brother, who was wrapped up protectively in her arms, he saw why she had too keep up that front. She had to do it for him.

Feeling Xander's gaze on her as Shawn was talking Kat looked over at him and winked playfully. Giving her a smile, he looked down and then over at Jesse of whom had stood up and started pacing.

"Look, we have a car outside full of gas and weapons." Jesse started. "If we all rush down this alley together with everything we've got, we might be able to get to it and out of this town."

"That's a big might." Kat said as she stood to her feet. "And I'm not sure that I want to risk me or my brother getting eaten by one of those things. Why don't we just all sit tight and wait for the army or..."

"The army?" Jesse asked with a scoff. "For all we know they've probably already got this place targeted to drop a bomb on it or something." he said remembering a little from his night as soldier boy on halloween. He and Xander had dressed up as soldiers for halloween and they had retained a few of their memories. "And even if we did wait for the army, we'll probably all starve to death before they find us. Trust me the best way is to get to our car."

"He's right." Shawn said standing to his feet. "We can't wait for help. We have to try to get out of here."

"Let's tally up the weapons and see what we got." Jesse suggested.

"Okay, I have two 9mm glocks." Shawn said taking them out of his back pack and putting them on a crate and checking their magazines. "And I have five bullets left in one of them and ten in the other."

"I have my twelve gauge." Jesse said while loading it with some bullets out of his jacket pocket. "And I only have seven shells left for it. I also have a glock..." he said tossing it over to Xander, who effortlessly caught it. "With fifteen bullets left in it. So what do you have?" he asked as he looked over at Deena.

"I have a custom made magnum fully loaded." she replied giving him a little smirk. "And I also have a kitana."

"A kitana?" Jesse asked surprised as he saw it strapped to her back. 'What the hell kind of person would bring a sword in a situation like this?' he asked himself. As if reading his thoughts she took it out of it's sheath and twirled it expertly on her hand.

"Let's just say that I have many skills." she said as Jesse let out an audible gulp.

"And what about you?" Xander asked Kat, who was still sitting on the floor unsure of their plan. "Do you have any weapons?"

"No." she said as she looked up at him. "I haven't even used a gun before today." she finished, leaving Xander to wonder how she had made it this far.

"Here you can use one of mine." Shawn said handing her one of his glocks. "The safety's off so make sure that your shots count. And the only shots that're gonna count are head shots."

"And if you're not sure what to shoot at... just stay close to me." Xander said, whispering the last part into her ear. As she gave him a smile he took her gun away from her and gave her a few pointers on how to use it.

"So what about the little squirt?" Deena asked as she looked over at Shane. "Shouldn't he have some kind of weapon?"

"No, most certainly not."

"But Kat..." Shane whined.

"But nothing Shane." Kat replied looking down at her little brother. "I don't want you using guns."

"I was thinking more of a melee weapon." Deena clarified. "Maybe like a bat or something."

"It's not gonna matter if he has a weapon or not anyway." Shawn interrupted. "It's just gonna be a simple run to a car. What's the worst that could...nevermind." he said as everyone glared at him for almost jinxing them.

"Alright everybody get ready." Xander said as he put his hand on the door knob. Deena had just checked through the window and no zombies were by the door.

"I have one question before we do this, cuz'." Shawn started. "Why do you two seem so calm about this?" he asked, making Xander and Jesse give each other a knowing look.

"I'll explain later." Xander said getting himself hyped up. "Now let's go." he said as he opened the door.

TBC...

Please Review...


	4. Chapter 3 Whispers In The Dark

Chapter 3

Whispers In The Dark

As soon as the door opened, Jesse stepped past Xander with his shotgun held up high ready to blast anything that moved. Looking down the narrow alleyway he saw that the coast was clear.

"I don't see anything." Jesse said as the others came out behind him. "This might be a little easier than I thought." he said as his foot hit a soda can. As it bounced off the wall the rattled noise attracted the attention of a few zombies that stayed near the entrance of the alley. "Me and my big mouth." he said aloud as he raised his shotgun and blasted the first of the creatures to run towards them.

The blast hit it's face so hard that the zombies head nearly spun around before the buckshot traveled and hit multiple zombies behind it. But still the horde came in force. As the thunderous booms echoed throughout the alley, he finally clicked dry.

"I'm out!" Jesse yelled out as he hopped behind Xander and started to load the last three shells. Covering him Shawn and Xander stepped forward and started to mow down the second wave of demons.

"This plan isn't working as well as I thought it would." Shawn said over the noise of the gun blasts.

"Tell me about it, they're boxing us in."

"Not for long." Deena said lowly as he heard the metallic whisper of her sword as she unsheathed it. Turning he could only watch as she ran past them and towards the horde of undead.

"Deena!" Shawn yelled out as she dropped her sword to the side letting the tip of it drag on the ground. Blue and red sparks shot up because of the friction and as she got two feet from the first zombie, she turned around brought up her sword and slid into it.

Dropping his arms down, the zombie looked down and saw the sword sticking through it's stomach. Using all of her preternatural strength, Deena ripped upward with the blade, slicing the zombie's body neatly in two.

Getting out of her pose Deena looked at the remaining zombies and ripped into them. She did back hand slaps, punches, kicks, flips, and slashes until the last of the demons fell in a bloody and spasming heap.

"That was awesome." Jesse said as he ran up behind her. Still in full warrior mode she turned around and was about to take off his head, but stopped herself as she saw his face. "Whoa."

"Sorry." she apologized as she lowered the sword.

"How did you do that?" he asked as the others ran over.

"Like I said before, I have many skills."

"Alright let's move." Xander said, taking charge as he ran past them, over the heap of dead bodies and looked out of the alley. "The coasts clear."

"Man that car looks like a gift from heaven right now." Shawn said as he saw the car sitting idle twenty feet away from them.

As he ran for it a black apparition jumped down in front of him knocking him to the ground. Looking up, he saw that it was a tall man with shoulder length black hair, dressed in full body armor and wearing a dark trench coat. Before Shawn could say a word the man swiftly kicked him in the face, knocking him out cold.

Trying to run over and help his cousin, Dark coat grabbed Xander by the neck and lifted him off of the ground. Seeing that Jesse was trying to run up, he threw Xander into him, knocking them both unconcious.

With a growl Deena swung the sword blade right at his neck and Darkcoat, without looking, shot a hand up and caught the sword in mid-swing, stopping it cold. With his other hand, he punched Deena so hard she flew backwards into a far wall, sending up a cloud of dust. Making her drop the sword on impact.

"Don't move." a voice said behind Kat, stopping her from raising up her gun. As she turned, the only thing she saw before being knocked out was a black tactical mask.

"Kat!" Shane yelled as another soldier smacked him in the back of the head with his rifle.

"Sir, the area is secure and we've loaded up our target." a soldier wearing an identical tactical outfit said as he walked up to Darkcoat. "What should we do about the others?"

"Load them up with the Watanabe girl." he replied as he looked over at him. "They'll make some interesting experiments."

Time and Location Unknown

'The floor is cold.' was the first coherent thing Xander thought as his vision slowly returned to him. And even though he hadn't opened his eyes yet, he knew that he was on a floor because of the many times his father had beat him down to the ground. It was marble, this floor, textured, cold, and hard. Now as he picked his head off of it, he could feel that it was really cement.

Groggily coming fully back into conciousness, Xander tried to sit up but found that he couldn't move his arms or legs. Panicking, he forced his eyes open and as they focused he saw that he was in a large room. Finding that the muscles of his neck were beginning to hurt very badly, he gritted his teeth against the pain and slowly forced his head to the right.

The chamber in which he laid in was enormous, a vaulted ceiling topping white walls without so much as a single bit of decoration. Hearing a groan behind him, he turned his head as far as he could and saw a patch of hair.

"Jesse is that you?" he asked, recognizing the hair.

"Yeah...yeah it's me." Jesse said, sounding a little loopy. "What's going on...where are we?"

"I...I don't know." Xander said looking down and seeing that he and Jesse were tied together by a thick string of rope.

"Hey, I see your cousin and the others tied up on my side of the room. They're still unconcious." he said feeling something in his back jeans pocket. "Hey Xand, see if you can reach in my back pocket and..."

"I'm not gonna scratch your ass for you man." Xander interrupted jokingly causing someone in the room to snort with laughter.

"Same old Xander." Shawn spoke up with a wince. "A jokester to the end."

"Hey man are you okay?" Xander asked him.

"Yeah, yeah just a little beat up."

"Xand will you pay attention?" Jesse asked more then a little annoyed. "The guards or whoever brought us in this room didn't check all of my pockets. I have a swiss army knife in my back pocket and I can't reach it."

After reaching into Jesse's back pocket, Xander pulled out the knife and quickly cut their bonds. Walking around the room he did the same for the others, of whom had finally regained conciousness.

"Isn't somebody missing?" Xander asked as he looked at them all in turn.

"Yeah, Deena." Shawn realized.

"Let's work on getting out of this room and then we'll try to find her." Xander said, putting his hand on Shawn's shoulder. Looking at his cousin closer, Xander could've sworn that he saw a gleamer of something pass through his eyes. A gleamer he knew went through his eyes when he had first layed his eyes on Buffy. 'Oh my, God I think he's in love.'

"Hey there's a door over there." Kat said as she pointed down at the end of the room.

As everyone looked to where she was pointing, they not only saw a door but a broad shouldered man standing in the shadows, with his back to them.

"Whoa where are you going?" Xander asked Shawn, as he held him back with one hand.

"He has his back to us." he pointed out. "Now's the best time to take him out and get out of here."

"Take him out?" Xander asked, taking a step back. There was something just not right about his cousins look. "We don't kill humans."

"You don't have too." Shawn said yanking the knife out of Xander's hand. Before Xander could grab him, Jesse stepped in his path.

"Xand, I know how you feel about killing humans, but this might be our only shot on getting out of here."

"But..."

"Before I passed totally out, I remembered them talking about doing some kind of experiment on us." Jesse interrupted him again. "Now is  
that what you want all of us to be? Some kind of guinea pig like everybody that's left in this city is."

Not answering him, Xander could only watch as his cousin stealthfully ran towards the guard at the door.

The closer Shawn got to the guard the less at ease he felt. Something just didn't feel right. As if sensing someone behind him the guard started to slowly turn and he smelt a stench that came off of him in thick noxious waves. Completing his turn, Shawn saw that it wasn't a man at all but rather another zombie, with a chain wrapped around it's neck. One side of his head was sunken in, an eye was missing, and it had old tattered clothes that had pieces of dust falling from it.

Upon seeing Shawn, it let out a deep moan of hunger before raising up his arms to grab him. Resisting the urge to gag, Shawn dodged to the left, brought up the knife and plunged it deeply into it's dried scabby head. Letting out another moan, it hunched forward and fell to the floor.

"Shawn are you okay?" Xander asked as he and the others ran over to him.

"Yeah." he replied, as he bent down and yanked the knife out of the zombies head. "Who the hell would tie a zombie to a door?"

"Somebody who wanted to keep us in." Xander replied. looking down at it.

"Well let's get the hell out of..."

"Shane!" Kat suddenly yelled out as she looked around for her brother. "Shane where are you?"

"I'm in here." he called out. Looking around, the group saw an office not twenty feet from the door. How they missed it they would never know. Walking into the room, the first thing to hit their nostrails was the fresh stench of blood.

Going all the way into the room, they saw a man in a white lab coat sprawled on the floor with haunted eyes and blood and gore behind him splattered on the wall. By the looks of him, one could tell that he had blown his brains out.

"Oh gaa..." Kat said, going over to a corner and vomiting. "Sh...Shane." she whispered out, trying to get control over herself.

"I'm over here." she heard his voice call out. Walking around the narrow corner in the room, they saw him sitting at a computer briskly typing away.

"Shane what the hell are you doing? Come on let's go." Kat ordered, grabbing his arm.

"But..."

"Wait a minute." Xander said looking over his shoulder and onto the computer screen. "What's this?"

"It's a time index." Shane answered him, before glancing down at his watch to match up the time. "And according to it we've been here for almost three hours."

"But where is here?" Xander asked.

"I...I don't know. I couldn't figure out the password to access those files."

"Move over squirt." Shawn said, lightly pushing him out of the business chair before sitting down himself. Before he started to type on the computer he looked down and saw a little brown book, sitting by the computer console. Picking it up he flipped through the book. "Hey this is a journal. It must've belonged to that doctor guy."

"See if it mentions anything about where we are." Xander suggested.

"I don't see anything too impotant." he replied after a few minutes of flipping through the book. "All it has in here is lab reports and... wait a minute." he said flipping to the last page. Reading from the book and then looking at the computer he typed in the username: Pointer and the password: HattenJC. "I'm in."

With that said, he waited until the main screen loaded and his eyes widened at what he saw.

"The Shade corporation?"

"What's that?" Jesse asked. "It sounds kinda familiar."

"It should because it's the biggest pharmaceutical company in the country." Kat spoke up. "Well next to Umbrella."

"But what would they won't with us?" Xander asked.

"Let's find out." Shawn said looking at the desktop items. "Let's go to diary." he said clicking on it's folder. "There's about twenty video entries in here."

"Go to the last one." Jesse said, reading over his shoulder. "It's dated today." as he clicked on it and waited for the media player to boot, the frantic image of the lab tech that blew his brains out soon appeared on the screen.

"This...this looks like it's going to be my last entry." he started as he nervously looked around. "Honestly I...I don't know who, I'm supposed to leave this too, but I hope it's the survivors that were found several hours ago."

"How much you wanna bet he's talking about us?" Jesse asked as he looked over at Xander.

"My name is Doctor Reginald Isaacs and if you are indeed the survivors then listen up. You were brought here for me and my lab team to experiment on, but there was an...accident." he said with a grimace. "Most of our creations have escaped out of the main lab and have already killed most of the lab techs in this facility. The

remaining one's have already evacuated. I don't know why I care enough to leave this journal entry, but I guess it's what's left of my humanity. To the right of you is a PDA device and all you have to do is hook it up to the computer and it'll automatically download a digital map of this underground facility."

As he said that Shawn looked to his right and he indeed saw a small palm sized computer. It was flat, with a little keypad on it and it looked very expensive. Picking it up he hooked the cord that was already inserted in the bottom of it, into the usb port. After only a second, he was rewarded with the sound of the computer saying download in progress.

"I guess all I have left to say is good luck." Doctor Isaacs said with a grim look in his eyes. "Believe me, for what's ahead of you, you're gonna need it. As for me, I'm already infected and I can't make it to the cure. If any of you get infected then... do the samething that I must do." he said as he stepped off of the camera. After only a couple of seconds they all heard the loud pop of a gun shot and then a body hitting the floor as the video feed stopped playing.

"Damn." Xander whispered as he held up the same gun that the doctor had used on himself. Suddenly the computer beeped loudly, startling them all.

"The downloads complete." Shawn said picking up the PDA. "Now come on let's see if we can try to find a way out of here."

"Hold on." Kat said looking at the computer. "Why not download as much from this computer as you can? If Shade really did this to the city, then we're gonna have to have some proof of it."

"You're right." Shawn said, checking it. "The map doesn't even take up one percent of the hard drive space. I could probably upload most of the files off of the computer."

"Good, me and Jesse will be right back." Xander said as he turned around.

"Where are you going?" Shawn asked.

"According to the map, this place has two armories." he said, pointing at the digital display on the screen, that read armory. "One is about three floors up and the other one is just down the hall. So while you're in here downloading those files, me and Jesse can run in there and get some weapons."

"Can, I come?" Shane asked, his enthusiasm showing.

"Shane..."

"Kat listen." Xander said stopping her in mid diatribe. "Let's not kid ourselves here, we're gonna be in danger here all of the time. He'll be safer with us anyway since we have the gun. Besides..." he said picking up a medical duffle bag. "We need somebody to carry the gun clips."

As he said that Kat just stared at him and then at her little brother. Twirling the necklace, her mother had given her before she died, she thought back to the promise she had made her to keep her brother safe.

"Alright." she said as she stopped twirling the necklace. "Shane you can go with them, but be careful."

With that said Xander tossed him the gym bag and the three of them slowly walked around the corner. Letting out a low grimace, upon seeing the ghastly image of the doctor they turned another corner and walked out of the room.

"Hey, I found our stuff." Jesse said happily as he cocked the slide on his shotgun. There was about a dozen weapons lockers in the room, as well as a half dozen crates that held ammo. "It was just sitting on one of those crates. I guess they didn't have time too put it up."

"Good, now load as much stuff as you can up." Xander said tossing clips and cartriges into the bag Shane was holding. Finding some flash lights, he tossed those in the bag before choosing a modified combat shotgun for himself.

"I found some medical supplies, a few glocks, Deena's sword and some underarm holsters for all of us." Jesse said as he put the med kit, he had found in the bag.

"Hey this thing is starting to get heavy." Shane said with a pout.

"Stop complaining squirt." Jesse said ruffling the little boys hair. "You're the one who wanted too..."

"What the hell was that?" Xander asked as they all heard some kind of loud squeeshing noise. Making sure a shell was chambered in his shotgun, Xander moved forward to the spot where he thought he heard the noise coming from. Jesse right behind him.

"Shane, you stay here." Jesse said over his shoulder. Hearing the noise again, Xander took out a flash light and shone it into a darkened corner and saw something that would gross him out for the rest of his life.

It was a large cocoon the size of a tall person, that looked like it was made out of human flesh sticking to the wall. With wierd squeeshy sounds it violently shook and spasmed. Before their minds told them to run, a huge worm like thing, a gore drenched thing started to tear itself out of the cocoon. It wiggled out of it and as the boys saw it, they wanted to throw up as they saw it open up it's blood red eyes and a large black hole of a mouth that squealed shrilly.

"Holy shit." Jesse said taking a step back. In a matter of seconds the thing grew from the size of a small dog to the size of a huge pitbull. As it squirmed on the floor it started to develop limbs, which then grew large claws on them. Upon spotting the two boys, after it's transformation it let out a loud shriek before slowly walking towards them.

The glock and shotgun tore into the monstracity that was still transforming and contorting it's body. As if in response to the blasts, the creature opened up it's mouth, revealing a network of sharp teeth, before vomiting out a green clump of goo. A green clumb that started to move. Looking down, Xander saw some little crab like creatures emerging out of the ooze.

"Let's just get the hell out of here!" he yelled as he hit Jesse on the arm and took off running. "Shane run!" he said passing the boy.

* * *

"What happened to you guys?" Shawn asked as Jesse, Xander, and Shane walked into the room breathing heavily.

"We ran into a little trouble." Xander said taking the bag off of Shane's shoulder and dropping it to the floor. "Now come on, let's suit up. And Kat you're gonna be our nurse maid for this mission." he said handing her the med-kit.

"There's exactly five levels to this place." Shawn was saying as he took point in the hallway, strapping on his holster as he went. The others doing the same as they chose their weapons out of the bag. "It has elevators but I don't trust the power supply to hold out until we get there."

"What about Deena?" Jesse asked, causing him to let out a deep sigh.

"According to the files we downloaded, we found out that she's only half human. She was a test tube baby and Shade wanted to make her a super soldier." he started. "They still needed a woman to carry the embryo into full term so they implanted her in a lady named Miko Watanabe. After discovering what Shade had planned, Miko fled and was never heard from again. As far as I know Deena doesn't even know what she is."

"We're still going to get her right?" Jesse asked as they walked through a door and into a hall that had three doors. One door was the one that they had come through and the others led to two other locations.

"We'll have to vote on that." Shawn said pointing at one of the doors. "According to the files, she'll be that way, but it's way off from the exit and will be time consuming getting too. Or we could go that way, which'll lead us to a group of stairs that goes to the surface."

"I don't know about you guys but in Sunnydale we never leave anyone behind." Xander said as he put his hand on his cousins shoulder. "So, I vote that we go and get her."

"I agree." Jesse said raising his hand.

"Me too." Shane replied.

"You guys are crazy." Kat said putting her arms across her chest. "But I'm in."

Walking down the corridor, they slowly opened a green door. As they did so, they walked through a dark area and immediately took out their flash lights.

Bam! Bam!

Jesse's glock blasts echoed loudly as he let off a few rounds. The others were about to comment on why he was shooting, but then they heard them before they saw them. Zombies, moaning and gasping, about three of them closing in on their position. Seeing them with the narrow beam of light from his flashlight, Xander hefted up his shotgun and unleashed an onslaught of bullets.

"Come on. This way." Xander said seeing them go down.

Minutes Later

Lab 2

Dark coat stood in front of a large tube, smiling as he saw the naked form of Deena unconcious and floating in a light brown fluid.

"You have no idea how important you are do you?" he asked as he put his hand on the tube. "I've been searching for you for years and now I finally have you. I've already injected you with a serum to unlock your hidden powers and after your reprogramming, I'm going to use you too..."

Suddenly he heard the loud blasts of of shotguns and the howling of some creatures on the outside of the room.

"Damnit, it looks like we have company." he said to himself as he stepped back into a darkened part of the room as the doors flung open.

* * *

"There she is." Shawn said to himself as he walked into the room and saw Deena floating in one of the series of tubes that lined the wall. As Kat and Shane walked into the room, she immediately put her hands over her little brother's eyes.

"We'll watch the door." Xander said as he and Jesse walked back over to the huge double doors of the room.

Walking over to the lab equipment, Shawn touched a series of buttons and the freezing amniotic fluids started to drain out of it. As it finished the tube went up into the ceiling and having nothing to keep her up Deena began to fall forward, but Shawn caught her inches from her falling face first to the floor.

"I...I have you." Shawn said lowering her to the floor and holding her. After a few seconds Deena's eyes fluttered open and she looked up and smiled at him.

"Hi..." she said, more then a little woozily. Her tough girl act gone for a moment.

"Hi..." Shawn said back as she looked down at her naked body.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked as she sat up.

"And that's all we know so far." Shawn finished as he found her clothes, folded neatly on a lab table. He didn't however tell her about the information that he had found out about her.

"Is that all?" she asked as she finished putting on her clothes. For some reason she felt that he was keeping something from her.

"Well there's a little bit more." he replied nervously, as he ran his hand through his hair. "But, I'll tell you about that later."

"Guys we have to move now!" Xander yelled as he ducked his head into the room. "Come on."

As they ran for the door, they could already hear the loud retorts of Jesse's shotgun. Running out of the room, they saw him shooting frantically at a large group of zombies that started to run out of a neighboring hall. As they ran past Jesse, he took up the rear and capped off a few that ran towards them.

"Let's go up the stairs." Xander said leading the way, the horde already closing in on them.

"They're still behind us." Jesse yelled a bit out of breath, after a few minutes of running up the steps.

"Just keep running, we're almost to the top!" Shawn yelled out to him as he reached a door that said level five exit. "Damnit, it's locked."

As the rest of the group ran up the stairs, the zombies slowed down to a walk as they watched them in anticipation of a meal. Some of the zombies seemed fresh, while others...faces and body parts started to dissentigrate.

"Fuck it! Move!" Jesse shouted as he whipped around and shot the lock off the door. As the others ran through, he turned back around and shot the heads off of the ones nearest him, before jumping through the other side himself.

"Man, my legs are burning." Xander said as he and Jesse leaned against the door to keep the zombies from getting onto the outside. The warm summer air, made him feel a little better though, even though the foul stench of death still hung in the air.

"Get ready to run again." Shawn said, out of breath himself, as he pointed at a sign in the distance. "We're not far from where the warehouse is. Hopefully your car is still there."

"Alright." he replied, wiping some sweat off of his brow. "You ready Jess?"

"Yeah." Jesse replied, taking in as much air as he could. "Let's go."

As the group ran, the door finally gave way and the zombies behind it spilled out and hit the ground. Quickly getting to their feet, they ran hungrily after them.

* * *

"We made it." Kat said as they finally made it to the darkened warehouse. "Let's rest for a minute, before we make a run outside."

"I agree." Shawn said as he nearly collasped on top of a box. "That was one hell of a run."

"You guys are tired?" Deena asked as she leaned against a wall. "I feel just fine." she said causing Xander and the others to look away from her uncomfortably. A look that didn't go unnoticed by her. "Every since we left the lab you guys have been treating me differently. Now what's going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on." a familiar voice said out of the shadows.

"What the...we locked all the doors." Shawn said as he jumped off of the box and looked around. As the others did the same and took out their flashlights, Deena taking out her sword instead, a small ball like object hit the floor next to their feet. Before they registered what it was the flash grenade exploded, sending a wave of blinding light throughout the room.

"I..I can't see." someone from the group yelled as they all clawed madly at their eyes.

"That was the general idea." Dark Coat said as he jumped from the rafters and tore into the group.

With an open palm strike to Xander's face his shotgun, along with him, clattered loudly to the floor. Going into a leg sweep he took Jesse and Shawn off of their feet. As he was about to hit Deena, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him clearly.

"Don't make any sudden moves." he said as he ran in an almost vampiric blur and got behind Katherine, lifting her up by the neck as he did so. "Now drop your sword to the floor and I'll let your little friend here go."

Following his orders with a snarl on her lips, Deena unsheathed her katana from her back and tossed it about ten feet away.

"Who are you?" she asked, never taking her eyes off of him.

"Allow me to introduce myself." he said as he grinned at her sadistically. "My name is Donovan. And I'm your brother."

"My..."

"We're nothing more then a sceintific experiment Deena. Your mother... Miko was also implanted with another embryo. Me." he said as Kat started to turn blue from the lack of oxygen. "And when we were born she took you and not..."

"You're lying." Deena said trembling with anger.

"Am I?" Donovan asked. "You can't tell me that you don't feel a different kind of power coursing through your veins. You're a god amongst insects Deena. We're the perfect creation."

"You're sick."

"That I am." he replied as he jerked his arm forward, snapping Kat's neck. Dropping her dead body to the floor, he smiled at his sister again before walking closer to her. "Now join me."

With a primal growl Deena and Donovan both reached for the sword simultaneously. Donovan got there first and held the sword up for all of a split-second as Deena kicked it from his grip and caught it in the same motion. She spinned, catching him behind the knees with the swords dull side and lifted him off his feet, sending him crashing to the dusty floor. Hitting a secret button on the sword a small knife blade popped out of the bottom of the pommel. She then spun the sword, knife-end first, and thrusted it downward straight at his throat.

He caught it however, an inch above his face and twisted hard, flipping Deena over. Now it was her turn to hit the ground. Donovan leaped to his feet and Deena staggered to hers, just in time to receive a devastating punch to the face, sending her reeling backward. Her brother just kept hitting her, a maniacal grin on his face as he did so. Deena tried to defend herself but was running out of steam. Knocking her down she lied on the floor, writhing in pain as he circled her, not even out of breath.

"Man, my head." Shawn said as he stood to his feet. Hearing some grunting noises he looked over and saw Deena and Donovan in the middle of a fight.

"Damnit." Xander said, already fully awake as he aimed his shotgun at Donovan.

"Xander, what are you waiting for?" Shawn asked as he walked over. "Shoot him."

"I can't." Xander said altering his aim. "If I fire I might end up shooting her."

"Kat!" she yelled out as he saw her lying motionlessly on the floor.

"We'll get her Shane." Jesse said sadly as he held him back. "Just wait until this is over."

Donovan rushed Deena and she swung the sword around in a lightning- quick series of slashes. He dodged them all and using his speed and strength wrenched the weapon from her grasp, kicking her backward into a wall. Spinning the sword around himself he aimed at her chest and thrusted forward. She dodged at the last instant and the shaft slammed into the wall, embedding itself up to the hilt. Angrily Deena hurled him away and ripped it from the wall, charging at him full speed.

He then swung at her, one punch after another, but she ducked and weaved, then whipped the sword's blade around sideways in a deadly arc, catching him full in the chest. He stopped, stunned, as she ripped the blade back out, opening him up from one side of his body to the other. He staggered backward, laughing at her for a brief moment, before his eyes went wide and he leaned against a giant rusty metal vat behind him.

"Deena, don't do this." he said, taking his hand away from his bloody wound. "I'm your brother."

"Now I know." she whispered as she ran forward, jumping almost twenty feet in the air above him. Extending her sword, she let it drag on the metal vat and as she descended blue sparks shot off of it. Getting about two feet from his head she kicked off the base of the vat and came down with a powerful chop slicing Donovan perfectly in half.

Seeing him dead, did something too Deena. Just being honest with herself she always felt a form of loneliness, as if a part of her was cut off. She always had her father there for her but there was just something else that made her feel empty. Now she knew why. It was because she had a twin. A twin that she had killed. Now she was going back into the dark void again and...

"Deena are you okay?" Shawn asked as he put his arm around her shoulder.

"I...I..." dropping her sword she broke into tears as she put her arms around her neck. She had to let all of it out.

"She's dead." Xander said as he walked over and checked out Kat. "I'm sorry Shane."

As tears wracked his body, he leaned down and touched his sisters face. He couldn't believe that it was ending this way.

"Shane let's go." Jesse said putting his hand on the little boys shoulder. Taking the necklace off of his sisters neck, Shane followed the others as they walked outside and towards their car.

Thirty Minutes Later

"The car's been running for almost five hours straight." Xander commented as the group drove out of the city and on the highway. "I'm going to go and get some gas at Kelso's."

No one answered him however, as they all thought about how much and who they had lost in the city. Driving back out to the gas station, Xander stopped under the pumps and got out without saying another word. As he entered the darkened station he heard an almost gargling type of sound. Following the noise he turned a corner and saw a zombie eating raw meat on the floor.

Hearing foot falls, the zombie slowly turned around, opened it's mouth and moaned. Taking a glock out of it's holster, Xander quickly shot the zombie in the head before walking up to the counter and throwing a twenty dollar bill on the counter.

"Thanks for the gas, Sal." he said looking sadly at the dead zombified owner of the shop.

"Xander what was that gunshot about?" Jesse asked, gun at the ready as Xander walked back to the car and started to pump his gas.

"Nothing." Xander said grimly. "Now let's get the hell out of this city."


	5. Chapter 4 Blue Moon Rising

Chapter 4

Blue Moon Rising

New Mexico

Night

Three Days Later

"So do you think your cousin and the others are gonna be okay?" Jesse asked as they drove past the welcome to New Mexico sign. They had only spent a day with the group at a hotel in Pheonix and that was mostly only to get rest for their long journey ahead.

"He's a Harris." Xander said with a smile. "And no matter what anybody says about us, we're survivors. Besides, Shawn stole about ten thousand dollars from the city when this first went down and then there's his fathers insurance money..."

"So what ever happened to the city?"

"Didn't you hear it on the news?" Xander asked as he looked over at him.

"No, I was too busy trying to cheer Shane up." Jesse replied a little glumly. "He's gonna have a long road ahead of him."

"Yeah, I know." Xander said tightening his grip on the wheel. "Anyway Shade must've gotten to the army first because they declared it an official hazard zone. They nuked that place about a day and a half ago."

"Along with any evidence of what they've done."

"No...no they don't have everything. Remember Shawn has that PDA with almost everything Shade has done on it."

"But why doesn't he just..."

"Turn it over." Xander finished for him. "Because Shade or somebody else could come along and have them killed. No they have to play this cool and find out how to slowly leak that information out."

"Yeah...yeah I get that."

The two then sat in an uncomfortable silence, until the lights from an approaching town started to come into view.

"I'm in the mood for a little music." Xander said as he fiddled with the radio buttons and upon finding a station they both heard a bone chilling scream. "Man music is sure different in New Mexico."

"That wasn't the music." Jesse said as he pointed further down the highway and saw a teen girl running across the street and into a wheat field. Pumping the brakes, Xander spun the wheel and the car turned in the middle of the road.

"Have you noticed that everytime we come into a town, we're always greeted with trouble?" Jesse joked dryly as both of their eyes widened. There was a huge dog, no werewolf running across the street in pursuit of where the girl was running.

"Damn." Xander said as he looked over at Jesse, before jumping out of the car and heading for the trunk.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?" Jesse asked as both of them armed themselves with a shotgun. "These will only slow that werewolf down."

"That's the plan, since we don't have any silver bullets." Xander replied as they ran for all they were worth. As they entered the middle of the corn field, which led to a clearing of downed stalks, they saw that the werewolf stood towering over the girl.

As they got a close look at her they saw that she was hispanic and looked probably around sixteen years old, with long black hair with red streaks in it.

"Hey!" Jesse yelled out getting the girl's attention as he lifted up his gun. "Get down!"

"No, don't shoot." she said spreading her arm's out wide, so they couldn't get a clear shot. Getting back down on four leg's the werewolf circled around the woman slowly, growling at the boys so they couldn't come closer.

Suddenly in the blink of an eye, the wolf lunged at Xander knocking him to the ground. Going down in a heap, the wolf stood over Xander about to bite into him until it started to pick up his scent. As it stopped moving, Xander looked deep into it's eyes and saw something familiar. It was as if he was supposed to have known it.

"No!" the girl yelled out as she jumped on Jesse's back to keep him from shooting the beast. "He's my friend."

At the mention of the word friend, the wolf let out another howl as it's body started to contort, crack, and transform. And in less than a few seconds Xander was staring up at the bruised and naked form of a familiar face.

"Oz?" he asked as he fell off the top of him and onto the ground, unconcious.

"Whoa." Jesse said as he walked over to them.

"Please, you have to get us out of here." the hispanic girl pleaded, as Xander shouldered his gun and picked up Oz.

"Why, isn't he what you were running from?" Jesse asked.

"No, I was running from that." she said as she pointed down the other end of the field. As both boys looked up they saw stalks shooting up into the air and whatever was headed their way was both big and fast.

"Let's double back to the car." Xander suggested as they took off running. Moments later two huge dark shapes emerged out of the wheat. Their milky white eyes scanned the surrounding darkness, as they sniffed around.

Looking up towards the full moon above, the two lycans howled as their bodies began to crack. As their transformation from beast to human completed there then stood the naked forms of a 6 foot tall, bald muscle bound black man and a short skinny white girl with shoulder length dirty blonde hair.

"He and the girl were here." the man growled out in a booming deep voice as he looked down to the girl. "But I smell other humans with him."

"Maybe we could still..." before she could complete her sentence, they both heard the loud distant screech of car tires peeling away.

"We'll catch up with the both of them later." the man said as he turned his back to her and started to walk back through the field. "And we'll kill anyone else that get's in our way. Now come on Veruca."

"Yeah." Veruca said, tearing her gaze away from the spot where Oz had fled. "I'm right behind you, Anthony."

Sunrise Hotel

Early Morning

Oz sat up in bed sweating heavily, trying to remember how to breathe. Panting, his eyes finally focused and he saw that he was in a mexican home styled hotel room, with beautifully decorated furniture. The first thought that hit him was 'cool' because he had remembered the events of what had happened to him last night and he was happy that he seemed to be in a roughly safe place.

Getting out of bed, he looked down and saw that he was naked. Hearing someone opening the door to the room, he quickly snatched up the sheets from the bed and wrapped them around his waist. As the door opened fully, he heard two familiar voices from Sunnydale along with his new companion Arianna.

"Um...hi." Oz said, a little uncertainly as he hiked the sheet further up his body.

"Hi." Jesse said back.

"Here we bought you some clothes." Xander said handing him a plastic bag. "When you get done changing, I think we need to have a talk." merely nodding his head Oz turned around and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

"So what are you doing here in New Mexico?" Xander asked as Oz settled down across from him. He wanted to ask, what he was doing with someone under age but he decided not to say anything. He had already asked Arianna what was going on, but she had insisted that Oz had to tell the story. 

"I was having disturbing dreams." he started off. "So I left Sunnydale so I could find out what they meant."

"And it just so happened to lead you into the arms of a young girl?" Jesse interrupted. "I'm sorry Arianna, you seem like a nice girl and all, but Oz how could you leave Willow for a prostitute?"

"These are the friends you wanted me to meet?" Arianna asked as she stood to her feet, hurt. "The one's you said that wouldn't judge me and would accept me like I was family. God why did I believe in you?" she asked as she ran out of the room crying.

"Arianna wait." Oz called out as she ran out of the front door. Giving Jesse a look that clearly said 'that wasn't cool' he ran after her. As he opened the door, he was lifted off of his feet by a powerful punch sending him crashing into a car across the parking lot.

As he looked up through his haze, he saw Veruca holding her hand over Arianna's mouth and the towering form of Anthony stalking towards him.

"Hey Oz, I wanted too..." Jesse trailed off as he looked up and saw Anthony and what he had done to Oz. Taking a glock out of his jacket pocket, he and Xander ran to where they were.

"I'll be back for you later." Anthony growled as he saw Jesse with his gun out. Taking off in a run, he snacthed up Arianna and Veruca, threw them into the van he had stolen from Oz, and burned rubber.

"Damn...Oz, Oz are you okay?" Xander asked as he ran over to the car he was thrown on top of.

"Arianna." Oz replied with a wince as he got off of the car. Suddenly the bones in his hand started to crack and hair appeared on it. With some effort he controlled the wolf and his hand returned to normal.

"Whoa." Jesse and Xander seemed to say in unison as they took a step back.

"Oz...what's, what's going on?" Xander asked.

"I'll explain on the way."

"On the way where?"

"To a town called Valencia."

"When I first got here, I played a set at a club and I bumped into a guy that claimed to work for the Powers that be." Oz was explaining as they finally got to Valencia. It was such a long drive that it was now starting to turn night. "He told me that I had a destiny to fulfill and that I would need a seer to fulfill it."

Flashback

Day's Earlier

Arianna shivered as she walked down a dark street. She'd been prostituting down this corner for almost two years and yet tonight there was something about this place that sent shivers down her spine. 'Damn girl get a hold of yourself.' she thought to herself. 'I've made over two thousand dollars tonight, what do I have to worry about?'

But she was better than that. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life on her back. She was beautiful and she knew it. If she could be seen by any Hollywood agent she could be snatched up and made a supermodel over night. Maybe if it wasn't for Anthony I could achieve my dream, she thought bitterly.

She smiled despite herself as a handsome guy stepped out in front of her. "Hey beautiful, want to have a little fun?" he asked.

"Sure my hotel is over this way." Arianna said as she started to walk where the hotel was only to be pushed into the nearest alley by the man. "Or we could do it in this alley." she said as she smiled at him seductively.

"Wait, can my friends join?" The man suddenly asked with a grin that made her shiver inside. Before she could answer two more men stepped out of the shadows.

"Listen guys I don't do all that kinky stuff. I'll only lay one of you guys at a time." she said nervously as the guys started to surround her. 'God I hope they listen and don't try to rape me.'

The man she first talked to laughed, the harsh sound of it making her heart pound in her chest. "Listen honey for what we have planned all of us are joining in?" he said with an evil smile.

"We're going to have a little fun and then," she screamed as all the men's faces morphed into something demonic. "we're gonna turn you." She opened her mouth to scream again but then the vampires fist rocked her head back, sending her falling to the ground. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a red headed man behind the men who attacked her. Then darkness.

* * *

Oz barely heard what the tacky dressed man named Whistler said as he began to run towards the scream. Stopping to get his bearings he closed his eyes and listened to the night. Using his super sensitive werewolf hearing he heard the faint sounds of a struggle just ahead of him. Running again he turned a corner and ran down a dark dank alley. The first thing he saw were three men down the end of the alley. 

But on closer inspection he saw a woman huddled in a corner with the three men advancing on her. Wanting to know what was going on he stepped into the light from the above street lamp and approached the men from behind.

"Hey." Oz shouted getting the men's attention. As they turned around he saw their faces and growls and fangs greeted him as one of the men started to approach him.

"And I guess you can be dessert short stuff." the vampire said as he growled low in his throat.

Before Oz could say a word, he was charged by one of the bumpy headed demons. Moving out of the way in time, he tripped the vampire as he ran past him. Ducking a punch he took the opening, he now had and plunged the stake through the vamps chest leaving nothing but dust floating in the wind.

* * *

William's eyes went wide from the scene before him. 'That was a 450 year old vampire. How the hell could a little punk like that kill a master vampire so easily?' he thought to himself. Looking more closely he could sense a small amount of power coming from the youth approaching them. 

But he's not one of us, he thought as he pushed the younger vampire closer to the approaching youth. "Get him!" William ordered as the fledgling ran with fear from his Sire.

* * *

Seeing another vampire approaching, Oz shot out a tiny fist, which had little effect on the taller demon. Running forward, he tried to stake the vamp through its chest, only for it to see it coming and move out of the way. Hitting Oz in the face with a left, the guitar playing werewolf flew up into the air and landed against a dumpster. The vampire lunged at him but Oz managed to roll out of the way, making the vampire hit his head beside the dumpster. As it turned around Oz kicked him on the knee and as it bent down, he plunged his stake through his back. 

Even as the vampire started to crumble, William's hands grabbed his shoulders out of the dust cloud, and flung him into an alley wall. Groaning slightly from the impact he struggled to his feet only to be punched back down to the ground.

"Time to die." the lead vampire growled. 'Or maybe I could just turn him, Nahhh...'

Not replying Oz rabbit punched him in the stomach making the vamp groan and stumble backwards. Getting to his feet he tried another move, but the vamp hit him again, punching him on the side of the head.

Running towards his meal, the vampire tripped on the girls outstreched leg. Taking his chance, Oz scooped up his stake and slammed it into his heart.

Collecting his calm after the fight, Oz made his way over to the girl who tried to help him. To say he was shocked was an understatement. Besides the blood on the corner of her lip the latino woman before him was absolutely beautiful. She had long thick flowing black hair that came down to her back. Throw that in with the skin tight black cat suit she wore, that accentuated every curve of her body, and some of the most pouty lips he'd ever seen, she was the total package.

"You cool?" Oz asked the visibly shaking girl who sat beside the dumpster rocking back and forth. Seeing that he was not getting a response he tried again. "It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." Oz said as he extended his hand to help her to her feet.

"What were those things?" she asked as she looked up at him still sitting on the ground.

"I'll explain later." he said sensing something come out of the shadows. "But right now we need to get out of here." he said helping her to her feet.

"Come on my van is this way." Oz said as thet took off in a run. It took only five minutes for them to get to the van as Oz went to the passenger side and opened the door for her. As she got in she was surprised to find a small jewelery box on his dashboard.

The box was small and black. On the top of it in golden letters was her name. Her curiousity getting the better of her she opened the box. As soon as she did the van started to fill with the most brilliant white light she ever saw. As she slowly started to lose consciousness she barely heard the young man call out to her as her world plunged into darkness once again.

End Flashback

"When I woke up, I found out that I had the power to transform at any time." Oz told them. "And I also found out later on that Arianna was the Seer, Whistler told me about. She then told me about Anthony and I told her that I would help her out. We've been running from him every since. What?" he asked as he looked over to see Jesse grinning at him.

"Nothing, I'm just not use to you talking this much." Jesse said getting serious. "Listen man, I wanted to say that I was sorry for what I said earlier. I was out of line."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Arianna."

"So what's with this Anthony guy?" Xander asked as he turned down a dark street.

"Beside's being Arianna's pimp, he's also a master werewolf that owns one of the biggest drug trafficking operations in New Mexico. Because of Arianna's gift, he uses her to make sure all of the drug deals go...stop! Stop the car!" he yelled as he sniffed the air.

"What is it?" Xander asked as he screeched the car to a halt.

"Go that way." Oz said pointing to a far off area.

"Why?" Xander asked, even as he started to drive towards the area in which he pointed.

"Because I can smell her."

Anthony's Warehouse

Moments Later

"You're...you're not going to kill me Anthony." Arianna said weakly as a spittle of blood dripped down her chin. She was chained down, on her knee's and was covered with bruises.

"Is that what you think honey?" Veruca asked in a patronizing tone as she slapped her hard across the face. "Because thanks to me a doctor is coming to see you, to take out your eyes."

"What?" Arianna asked worriedly.

"That's right mamacita, we don't need you anymore for your gift. All we need are your eyes."

"It's a shame really." Anthony said, raising up a beefy hand. "You were one of the best whores I ever had."

"Wait." Veruca said, as she sniffed the air, smelling something familiar. "I think he's here."

"Well go out and greet them." Anthony said with a smile, as some of his vampires came out of the shadows to join her.

* * *

"I see my van." Oz said as they stopped near an old abandoned looking warehouse. "Since we don't have any silver bullets, I'm going to go to my van to get something to even the odds." he said as all three of them got out of the car. As Oz walked towards his van, Xander and Jesse went to the trunk of the car, before walking closer to the building. 

As they did so they heard an unnerving howl, that made their flesh crawl. Nervous now, they heard another, this one long and loud. It is a very inhuman noise, terrifying, and closer this time.

As they stood closer together they heard a low guttural growl, along with the sound of heavy footfalls, coming from out of the darkness. As they strained to hear its four footfalls they turned slowly, following it.

Something was definately waiting in the darkness. It was a hulking shape barely discernible, but its eyes glowed eerily and its breath was now visible. Suddenly out of nowhere the lunging beast brought Xander down in one fell swoop, also knocking Jesse down in the process. Before the Veruca werewolf could rip Xander to pieces, another werewolf lunged at them, knocking her off of him.

As the two wolves started to circle one another, Were Oz let out a growl and jumped on top of her. With superior strength, he leaned down and tore out Veruca's throat, sending out a fountain of crimson blood. Reverting back to her human form, Veruca's sightless eyes could only stare up at him as she took her last breath and died.

Drooling hungrily, blood dripping from his fangs, Oz turned around and looked at Xander and Jesse.

"Nice doggy." Jesse said taking a step back, as Oz growled at them. "You don't wan't to hurt us now do you?"

Before Were Oz could react, they all heard a loud scream. Whipping his head back towards the building, Oz took off at a run. Crashing through the front door, he ran until he came into a large room and saw Anthony standing over an unconcious Arianna.

"You're late." Anthony said as the bones in his body started to crack. Not allowing him to fully transform, Were Oz pounced on him, biting deeply into his arm and neck. Seeing that he was still trying to struggle, Oz stood up to his full height and knocked Anthony down to the ground, tearing him to pieces.

Stepping away from the broken and torn body, Oz walked over to the unconcious form of Arianna and looked down at her. Touching her with his nose, he made almost doggish whining noises as he licked her face.

"Oz?" she asked, as she opened up her bruised eyes and looked up at him. As her brown eyes met his monsterous white ones, his animalistic rage started to decrease and he changed back into his human form, torn bits of his clothing still hanging from his body.

"Arianna...are..are you okay?" he asked as Xander and Jesse ran into the room, after slaying all of the vamps. Seeing the two together, Xander and Jesse saw that what they shared wasn't sexual but rather something else entirely. Nodding their heads to each other they quietly slipped out the back way.

The Sunrise Hotel

The Next Day

"So maybe we'll meet back up in Sunnydale after our road trip is over and your destiny is complete." Xander was saying as they all stood in front of the hotel.

"Yeah, definately." Oz said shaking his hand.

"Um, listen Arianna about what I said before..." Jesse started off running his hand nervously through his hair.

"Don't worry about it, just forget it." she said smiling at him.

"No I'm not going to forget it." Jesse said suddenly determined. "I was wrong for what I said and I'm sorry." he said sticking his hand out. Thinking she was about to shake his hand, he was surprised when she reached over and gave him a hug. "Welcome to the Scooby Gang." he whispered into her hair.

"So what are you guys going to do now?" Oz asked as they walked out to the parking lot.

"Well we just got here to New Mexico, so we were thinking about staying a few days before hitting the road again." Xander said walking up to their car.

"Ohh wait." Jesse said going to the trunk. As he did so, he pulled out a digital camera. "I bought this in Arizona, so I could take pictures of the trip."

"Well go ahead." Arianna said looping her arms around Xander and Oz's neck. "Snap away."

"Man, I want to be in this picture." Jesse whined as a cute honey blond, wearing new age clothing walked past them. "Hey!" Jesse yelled, grabbing her arm. "Do you mind taking a picture of us?"

"I...I..."

"All you have to do is push this button." Jesse interruped her stuttering fit as he threw the camera in her hands.

As he and the others got together, all smiling, except for Oz who had his usual expressionless face on, the girl nervously lifted up the camera and took the picture.

"Thanks." Jesse said happily as he took the camera back. Hiding her face behind the curtain of her blond hair, she was about to walk off until Jesse grabbed her arm again. Looking up at him, she saw him smiling warmly at her. "Sorry." he said as he let her go. "My name's Jesse, what's your's?"

"T...T..."

"Tara get over here!" they heard a man's voice yell out. As they looked up they saw a older man with wrangler jeans and a t-shirt standing by an old beat up truck. "Now!"

Not saying a word to the boys, Tara hurriedly walked over to her father's truck and got in.

"Man what a jerk." Xander commented with a shake of his head. "Anyway Oz, Arianna we'll catch up with you guys later." he said as they got in their assorted vehicles and got on the highway. Destined to go in different directions.

"Hopefully we'll have time to have fun on this trip." Jesse loosely commented as he put the camera in the glove box. "For some reason it's only been adventure after adventure for us."

"I'll be sure to drive somewhere that's nice and quiet next time then." Xander said with a chuckle. "But for now let's go somewhere in New Mexico and party."

"So what is that Scooby Gang thing Jesse was talking about?" Arianna asked as she and Oz stopped at a red light. "Is it some kind of..." before she could complete her sentence the van started to shake violently. "What's... what's going on?"

"I don't know." Oz said as he tried to drive off, too no avail. A red vortex then opened above the van and in a flash they were sucked into it, not leaving a trace behind. Little did they know but the Powers That Be, were setting them on a new adventure.

A/N I wanted everyone to know that I wasn't blatantly disregarding the rule about werewolves transforming during a lunar cycle. Since there are master vampires, I thought it only logical for there to be master werewolves. Wolves that could control their transformation like Anthony. As far as Veruca being able to do that, as I explained in the beginning of this fic, Jesse still being alive had a big effect on this time line.

The band Veruca song for got killed because Jesse bumbled up a mission allowing some vampires to escape. Those same vampires later went to New Mexico where they killed Veruca's band and stumbling off into the night she later hooked up with Anthony who trained her in her transformations.

Also I wrote that Oz fight scene about seven years ago, man that's a long time ago, right after he first left the show. It was originally another fanfic, I was writing on but it never got that far. Oh and the next crossover will be Smallville.


	6. Chapter 5 Splinter

A/N This is a Smallville crossover and since it takes place in 1999 season one of Smallville hasn't happened yet and Clark doesn't have alot of his powers yet. But for the stories sake, I'm going to make Clark, Pete, Chloe, and Lana 16. According to the info I found from the show in 1999 Clark and the gang would only be about 13 years old and I just don't see Xander and Jesse conversing with someone that young. Also it's a bit of a prequel to the episode thirst in Smallville season five. The character of Buffy Sanders was bitten in 1999 so I decided to use that in the plot of this story chapter.

Also Lana isn't dating Whitney and the Luthors haven't bought out all of the areas in Smallville yet.

Chapter 5

Splinter

Smallville, Kansas

Crater Lake

Night

"I can't believe that you finally decided to go out with me Buffy." a nerdy teen with short brown hair was saying to a beautiful blonde as they walked around the edge of the lake. "What made you change your

mind?"

"I just thought that I was entirely too mean to you in school." Buffy replied as she pouted at him, while touching his chin with her thumb. "I was just worried about my image and not about peoples feelings. Do you forgive me Chris?"

"Y...y...yeah." Chris replied, nervously at her touch.

"Now that we're such good friends why don't we do something fun?" she asked as she took his hand and ran towards the dock that over looked the lake. "Let's go skinny dipping."

"Skinny... skin.." was all Chris was able to get out.

"Come on silly." she said taking off her shirt, exposing her black bra underneath. "You don't even have too...oh my God what was that noise?" she asked as she jumped behind him.

"What noise?" Chris asked as he turned around and looked at the advancing night. "I don't hear anything."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked concerned. "You don't hear anybody at all?"

"No, not a soul." Chris said as he turned around and took in a sharp intake of breath.

"Good." Buffy said as her canines fully descended and she bit deeply into his neck. Fully draining him, she let his body hit the ground and as she was about to walk off she looked down and saw a necklace with a red jewel around his neck. "Hmmmm, that's pretty." she said taking it off, putting it on, and walking off.

The Next Day

"Smallville Kansas." Jesse said as they passed the huge welcome to sign that read 'Welcome to Smallville Kansas Pop 44,985 The meteor Capital of the World!' "I still don't see why you wanted to come

here. According to the map this place is almost as small as Sunnydale."

"Hey you're the one that wanted to go somewhere nice and quiet." Xander commented. "And considering what happened in Texas, I thought we deserved a little change in pace."

"Don't ever remind me of that again." Jesse said seriously. "That guy was a freakin psycho." he said thinking back to that huge guy with the chainsaw.

"Just try to let it go, Jess. We got out alive and that's all that matters."

"But..."

"No but's. Let's just enjoy the rest of our trip." Xander replied calming down a bit as they pulled into the main part of town, never noticing the small ball of white light that floated above the car. "Hey there's a cafe' up ahead. I don't know about you but I can sure use some coffee right about now."

"I'm glad Willow isn't here." Jesse said, his good mood returning. "She would be bouncing off the wall if she had some."

As he said that Xander parked near the coffee shop, Andy's Coffee and got out of the car.

"Man it feels good to move." Jesse said as he got out and strecthed his legs. They hadn't stopped much since they left Texas, only stopping occasionally for gas.

As they walked through the front door, the bell overhead dinged giving the place a quaint feel. And that's what the place was, quaint. It was designed to look like a 1950's cafe' shop. It had everything down to pink leather booth's and seats to a pinball machine in the corner.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Xander blurted out as he bumped into someone, making her drop the books in her hands. "Here, let me help you get those."

* * *

As the door to Andy's shop opened, two teens looked up from their booth to see two men walk in.

"Whoa, did it just get a little warm in here?" the blonde haired girl asked, as she started to fan the front of her shirt as if she was hot.

"They aren't that good looking." the black teen said as he looked over at them and scoffed.

"You wouldn't say that if you were a girl."

"Then I guess it's good that, I'm not a girl then huh?"

"Hey Pete, Chloe who are those two guys over there talking to Lana?" a teen with dark hair asked as he joined them.

"Oh um, that tall guy with the haiwaiin shirt on is Lana's secret lover." Chloe said as she looked up at him.

"What." he almost shouted, causing a few people to look over at him.

"Calm down Clark." Pete said, over his laughter. "She was just messing with you."

* * *

"The Art of War?" Xander asked as he helped pick up one of Lana's books. "What's a girl as pretty as you doing reading something like that?" he asked as he looked down at her.

"Um thanks..." Lana replied, blushing madly as she stroked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. "I heard that we had to read this for advanced english lit next year so I'm just getting an early jump on it. Hey, I've never seen you two before. Are you new to town?"

"Yeah, we're on a roadtrip to go to all the states for the summer before my friend here goes off to college." he replied pointing back to Jesse.

"That sounds cool." Lana replied as Jesse handed her, her last book. "I wish I could do that. Be on the open road, see all the sights."

"Not all of it is pretty." Jesse whispered under his breath.

"What?" Lana asked as she looked over at him curiously.

"Sorry just thinking out loud." he said with a smile. "I was just wondering what your name was?"

"I must've forgotten my manners. My name is Lana, Lana Lang." she said holding her hand out to shake.

"Jesse." Jesse replied as he shook her hand. "And this is my best bud Xander." he said as he walked off to get an order of food.

"Well Lana since we're such good buds now." Xander said looping an arm around her shoulder. "Could you tell us where the nearest hotel is? We're kinda tired and we wanted to freshen up some."

"Well you're in luck." she said, giving him a bright smile. "My aunt run's a bed and breakfast at our house."

"Cool."

"Just follow me." after Jesse brought over a doggy bag of burgers, fries, and cappichino they all walked outside.

* * *

"And now she's leaving with them?" Clark asked no one in paticular, as he raised up an eyebrow.

"Do I see a green eyed monster?" Chloe asked touching his hand. "One would think that you were jealous or something."

"What..me..jealous, no way." he spluttered. "I'm just curious that's all."

Lana's Home

Minutes Later

Xander whistled to himself as he looked up at Lana's big home. It had a huge pond on the side of it, and a stable full of horses.

"So I see you like it?" Lana asked as she walked up to the porch and opened up the door, gesturing them in.

"Yeah." Xander said passing her and looking into the finely furnished home. "It makes my place look like a hole in the wall."

"That's because it is." Jesse joked, slapping him on the back of the head. As they laughed Xander watched as a beautiful middle aged woman with dark hair, walked into the room.

"You must be the boys Lana called me about?" she asked as she came into the room.

"And you must be Lana's mom." Xander said shaking the woman's hand. "Now I see where she get's her beauty from."

"Thanks for the compliment." the woman said with a beaming smile as she shook his hand. "But I'm not Lana's mother, I'm her aunt Nell."

"Oh, sorry." he apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I get that all the time." Nell said looking over at her niece. "Isn't that right Lana?"

"Yeah." Lana replied uncomfortably. "I...I gotta get some fresh air."

"Lana wait up." Jesse said running after her.

"Did...did I say something wrong?" Xander asked as he looked over at Nell.

"No...no." Nell said slowly as she looked from the door to Xander. "It's just that Lana's parents were killed in an accident."

Smallville Cemetery

Minutes Later

"Lana! Lana hold up!" Jesse shouted out as he finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Man you're fast."

"I'm sorry." Lana apologized as he let go of her arm. "I...I just needed some time to think."

"Are you okay?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"I'm the Fort Knox of secrets." Jesse said as he leaned up against a tree. "Now what's up?"

"I... came out here to talk to my parents." she said as she laughed a little with embarrassment and turned away. "You must think I'm pretty weird. You know, conversing with dead people."

"No, I-I don't think you're weird, Lana." he said reassuringly. 'Believe me I've talked to enough dead people for a life time.' he thought to himself. "Do you remember them?"

"They died when I was six. As weird as it sounds meteor's hit Smallville a few years back and one crushed my parents."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Jesse." she said with a smile, before taking his hand, and leading him over to a gravesite. "Mom, Dad-this is Jesse. Say hi."

"Hi." Jesse said with a wave making both of them laugh. Looking down at the tombstone, Jesse read the inscription to himself. Lewis (1957 - 1989) and Laura (1959 - 1989) Lang. Forever Loved.

"Are you okay?" Lana asked after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. Jesse was smiling the whole time she had met him, but after the last couple of minutes, a saddened look broadened his features. A look she knew all to well. A look that said that he had lost someone close to him.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine." he replied with a false smile.

"Please don't lie to me." Lana said taking him by the face and making him look down at her. She had just shared something deep with him, and he didn't judge her. It was the least she could do for him."We're friends now and I see you're hurting. Now tell me what's wrong."

"There was this girl named Erin." Jesse started off lowly, after a few minutes of debating on what to tell her. "Me and my bud Xander were travelling through Texas and we met this girl who said that she was running away from a psycho. We tried to drive her out of town, but we were stopped by a police officer and held at gun point. He led us back to a house and he made us watch as this psycho chopped her up. Me and Xander barely made it out alive."

"Oh my God, the Texas chainsaw massacre." Lana realized as she pulled him into a hug. "I read about that in last weeks newspaper."

"I'm sorry...I..."

"Just let it out Jesse." Lana soothed as he cried into her shoulder.

"You...you must think I'm a wuss now?" Jesse asked as he calmed down and wiped away the last of his tears.

"You lived through one of the biggest nightmares of our time." Lana pointed out. "I wouldn't call that being a wuss."

"I hate to disturb you both." Xander said as he walked up to them. He had heard most of what both of them had to say and he was happy that Jesse started to let some things go. "But I need to talk to Jesse about some stuff."

As they walked out of the graveyard they totally missed the figure watching them deep in the shadows.

Guest Room

Lana's Home

"So you think this was a vampire attack?" Jesse asked as Xander handed him Smallville's morning paper. 'Teen found drained of blood at Crater Lake.'

"It fits the M.O. so I think we should atleast check things out."

"Maybe we could go to the library and look to see if there were any other murders that happened like this recently." Jesse suggested. "Maybe then we can try to pinpoint how many vampires we're dealing with."

"Good plan." Xander said opening up the door to his room. "I'll go and ask Lana where the library is."

"Hey Xand, wait up." Jesse called out as he fell into step behind him. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Shoot."

"I wanted to ask why it seemed like you're taking everything that happened to us in Texas so well?"

"Believe me, I'm not." he commented as they walked down the stairs and heard Nell and Lana talking.

"I...I can't believe this!" Lana cried out as she paced around, running her hand through her hair anxiously. "There has to be another way."

"I'm sorry it has to be like this Lana. I really am." Nell replied as she sat down on her couch. "I only have about two thousand saved, but if I don't come up with ten thousand dollars, the Luthor Corp is gonna take our land. I don't have any choice but to sell most of our horses off."

"Why don't you just throw a fund raiser party." Jesse said as he and Xander walked fully into the room.

"What?" Nell asked as she looked up at them.

"Sorry but I couldn't help but overhear about your problem." he said as he sat down next to her. "When is the deadline for your payment?"

"By the end of the summer." she told him. "Now what was this about a party?"

"Well, the first thing me and Xander noticed when we came to town was that their wasn't much to do here." he started. "The biggest thing is there isn't even a club or something for people to relax at. So I was

thinking, why not just have a party once or twice every weekend. Your house is big enough, you already have a hi-tech stereo system, and you don't even have to spend that much on refreshments."

"That sounds smart." Nell said considering. "Where did you come up with this?"

"Well, I'm thinking about being a business major when I go to college." Jesse said with a chuckle. "We could have the first party tomorrow night and charge about ten dollars at the door."

"I still don't think, I'll be able to come up with ten thousand dollars before the summers end though."

"Let us worry about that." Xander said leaning on the side of the couch. "We'll even chip in and help you with the decorations and some food."

"I couldn't ask you boy's too..."

"Come on Lana, you can go into town with us so we can tell people about the party and pick up a few things." Xander interrupted as he opened the front door for her. "Hey that was smart thinking with the

party." Xander whispered to Jesse. "I can't think of a better place where the vampire would want to come."

"Still I think we should go to the library and check out the computer."

"The computer's are down at the library." Lana said, overhearing that much. "They've been down all week."

"Great. Just great..."

"Well I do know somebody who'll let you use their computer." she informed them, not understanding why they wanted to use a computer so badly. "I'm sure she'll let you use it."

The Next Night

"I'm glad that Chloe girl let us use her computer." Jesse was saying as he finished blowing up some balloons, letting them float to the ceiling as he did so. "According to the coroners report, there was only one bite mark on that guy's neck."

"Chloe was also kinda cute, just nosey." Xander said finishing up his batch of balloons and decorations. "But like you said atleast we were able to find out that there's a strong possibility that there's only one vampire out there."

"Hey did you guys need any help with anything?" Lana asked as she walked into the living room.

"Actually, I do need help with something." Xander said reaching into his pocket and throwing her his car keys. "I left some food in the trunk, do you mind going to get it?"

"No, I'll be right back." she said as she bounded out of the room.

"There that's the last decoration." Jesse said as he looked over at Xander, a thought suddenly occuring to him. "Hey did you shut down the secret hatch in the trunk of the car?" as he asked that, they both looked over at each other before running out of the room.

As soon as Lana opened the trunk of the car, she was greeted with the sight of a cross hanging on a hook inside of it. And if that wasn't enough as she removed the grocery bag full of chips and other food, she saw a couple of swords, some stakes, and alot of guns.

"Oh, my God." Lana said dropping the bag and backing slowly away from the car.

"Lana wait!" she heard Jesse's voice yell out. Reaching into the trunk she took out a glock and pointed it at Jesse and Xander as they approached.

"Stay back! The both of you!" she yelled out as she altered from pointing at Xander and then Jesse.

"Lana you don't understand...you have to listen..."

"I trusted you." Lana said looking into Jesse's eyes. "I told you things I wasn't comfortable with telling anyone else and now you're what...some kind of psycho killer?" she said glancing down at all of the guns.

"What I have to tell you is gonna sound crazy." Jesse said keeping his hands raised up. "But you have to believe in me Lana. I would never hurt or lie to you."

"Go ahead then, tell me what you have to say." she said not waivering with the gun.

"Alright, me and Xander are vampire hunters."

"Yeah, you're right that does sound crazy."

"He's telling the truth Lana." Xander said stepping forward, only for her to point the gun at him to make him step back. "Just think about that newspaper article from yesterday. The one with that guy getting

drained of blood. Just tell me have you ever in your life heard of anything that could do that to a person?"

"Hey what's going on out here?" Nell asked as she walked outside.

"Nothing we were just talking." Lana said startled as she quickly hid the gun behind her back.

"Okay, just hurry up then. The party's gonna start soon." she said as she walked back into the house.

"Let's say that I do believe you both." Lana said taking the gun back out and kept it at her side. "Then that would mean that everything I knew was a lie."

"You don't know the half of it." Xander said as he walked close to her. 'God I wish Giles was here to explain all of this.' "The world is older then you know..."

* * *

"So how are you gonna be able to find a vampire when you see one?" Lana asked over the blare of the music. There had to be atleast fifty teens swarming around in a mass of swaying bodies and limbs.

"Trust me, after spending some time in Sunnydale you'll just know." Jesse said back to her as he leaned up against the wall and handed her some punch. He was surprised that she took the news about vampires and demons so well. He remembered when he had first learned about the darkness he had almost pissed his pants.

"Hey Lana this is a nice party." Clark said as he walked up to her and started to squirm.

"You can say that again." Nell said walking over. "I've already made over five hundred dollars and people are still coming in. Hey put down that lamp!" she yelled as she quickly walked off.

"You alright man?" Jesse asked as he looked over at Clark. "You look a little green around the gills."

"He's fine." Pete said as he walked over and slapped Clark on the back. "He always get's that way around Lana." he said teasingly.

"So um...who's your friend?" Clark asked taking a step back.

"Oh this is Jesse. Jesse this is Clark Kent and Pete Ross." she properly introduced them.

"Hey Jess at two o'clock." Xander whispered into Jesse's ear as he walked over. Looking up he saw a beautiful but pale girl with blonde hair dancing with about two or three jock types.

"Looks like that's our girl." Jesse said as he handed Lana his punch and walked off with Jesse.

"I wonder what those two are up too?" Pete asked as he looked at their retreating forms.

"Oh there you are sis." Xander said grabbing Buffy by the arms. "I've been looking all over this place for you."

"Ah..."

"Hey leave her alone dude." one of the jocks said as he reached for her arm, only for Jesse to step in the way.

"You got a problem?" Jesse asked as they got in each others face.

"Jess she's gone." Xander said as he took off through the sea of teens. Looking back towards the jock angrily, Jesse took off after him.

As soon as Xander walked out the front door, he was lifted off of his feet by a powerful punch, sending him sprawling to the ground. Running out Jesse held up a cross, as she bared her fangs.

"Oh sweetie." Buffy said with a laugh at his confused look, as the cross didn't have any effect on her. "This isn't a movie."

As he went to get the stake out of his jacket, she slapped him hard on the face knocking him to the ground. Trying to get up, she leaped on top of him pinning him down. With her fingernail, she cut her tongue and moved into kiss him, but he rolled over, took out the stake and stabbed her in the heart making her scream and fall off of him.

"Damn that was close." Jesse said to himself as he got up and helped Xander stand to his feet.

"Um...Jesse shouldn't she be going poof?" Xander asked as she sat up and growled at them.

"You two ruined a perfectly good shirt." Buffy said as she ripped the stake out of her chest, her wound healing instantly. "I'm so going to kill you both."

As she jumped into the air, a blur streaked past Xander and Jesse and knocked her out of the air. When the red blur stopped moving, Xander eyes widened as he saw who it was.

"Clark?" he asked, making him look back at him. And that proved to be his mistake as Buffy did a spinning wheel kick on Clark knocking him to the ground, before kneeling beside him. As he reached up to push her off of him, he ripped her red necklace off and felt foreign emotions rush through his body.

As Xander ran over to help him, Clark suddenly stood to his feet, his eyes flashing red and punched Xander so hard that he sailed through the air and bounced off a car twenty feet away. Hitting the dirty ground, his body rolled a few more feet before he hit his head on a rock knocking him unconcious.

"Xander!" Jesse yelled out as he ran over to check on his friend.

"Ohhhh, I think I like you." Buffy said as she shivered with excitement. With a creul smile on his face, Clark heard the front door opening and without looking back to see who it was, he grabbed Buffy by the arm and speed streaked away.

"What's going on out here?" Lana asked, as she and Pete walked outside.

"Lana call an ambulance!" she heard Jesse's voice yell out from the shadows.

"Jesse?" she asked as she walked through a series of cars, her eyes widening at what she saw. Xander was lying crumbled on the ground with cuts on his head, and blood coming out of his ears and other parts of his body.

* * *

Finally stopping his speed streak Clark and Buffy emerged in a dark dank cave.

"That was a hell of a ride." Buffy said as she took in her surroundings, hearing bat's screech in the distance. "What the hell are you?"

"The same thing you are." Clark said pulling her close to him as he clutched the necklace tightly with his other hand. She looked at him for a second and noticed that the gem in it was glowing.

'Maybe that's why he's acting differently.' she mused to herself.

"I'm a freak."

"I think I like the way you say that." she said giving him a seductive smile. "Now why did you bring us here?"

"I don't know." Clark replied as he noticed some symbols on the wall. "It just felt familiar."

Smallville Hospital

"Your friend will be just fine." Doctor Maranda Steven's said as she walked out of Xander's room. "Besides him being unconcious, he's suffering from a slight concussion, a few bruised ribs, and it looks like his left arm is broken."

"But other then that he'll be okay?" Jesse asked only for the doctor to nod her head. "Thank God."

"Can we go and see him?" Lana asked.

"Yes of course." the doctor said, stepping aside. "Just let us know if you need anything."

As Lana, Jesse, and Pete walked into the room they all gaped in unison as they saw Xander's battered and bruised body laying on the hospital bed. Jesse had never seen his friend look so hurt...so fragile in his life and it unnerved him.

"Damn you." he said angrily.

"Who are you talking about?" Pete asked as he looked up at him.

"Your friend Clark." Jesse said as he clenched and unclenched his fist. "He's the one that did this to him."

"No way." Pete protested. "I've known Clark my whole life and he wouldn't even hurt a fly."

"He's right Jess." Lana put in. "Clark wouldn't hurt anyone."

"I saw what I saw." Jesse said as he turned around to look at Pete. "Now tell me where he lives."

* * *

"Yes...yes thanks Mr. Luthor." Chloe said into her phone. "I mean Lex." she said as she hung up the phone. As she was about to stand up to do her task the telephone rang again. With a sigh, she picked up the reciever and listened to the most raspy voice she had ever heard in her life.

* * *

Jesse scowled to himself as he finished talking to the Kent's. He had told them what their son had done and they in turn had threatened to call the police if he didn't get off of their property spreading lies. As he was about to walk over to his car, he looked up and saw the lights on in a near by barn.

Using a bit of stealth he ran into the barn and looked inside. As he did so he saw that the light was coming from the loft and upon slowly going up it he saw Clark with his back turned to him, packing up something.

"So what you thought you'd skip town after what you did to my friend?" Jesse asked as he took out a glock and pointed it at Clark. "I don't think so, now put your hands up because you're gonna go to the sheriffs office and tell them what you did."

"Oh really?" Clark asked mockingly as he turned around with his hands up. "Is that what I'm really going to do?"

"Yeah, now where's your little girlfriend?" and if on cue Buffy along with three other female vampires came in through the open window and jumped up on the banister baring their teeth.

"Getting backup." Clark said as he punched the now distracted Jesse in the face.

Xander's Mind

Sametime

"Ow my head." Xander groaned out as he got up off of the ground. As he looked around he found himself in the middle of a dizzyingly large snowy field, surrounded by white-covered mountains and not a sign of another person for miles.

Looking down he saw a large drop off of a snowy white valley below him. The tops of the mountains could barely be discerned from the hazy bluish-white sky as a gentle wind blew through his hair. Picking up a stone ready to throw it down the drop, it floated into the air as he opened his hand. Confused he grabbed it out of the air and chucked it away.

As he did so the ground started to shake violently and the Fortress of Solitude suddenly rose out of the icy ground. Upon seeing how expansive it was Xander started to walk towards it. Inside the Fortress of Solitude, Xander looked around and was drawn to a heap of glowing crystals. As he got a few feet in front of them one crystal floated out of the heap and into his hand.

"What the..."

"There is much work for you too do." a masculine, yet disembodied voice spoke to him. "The destiny that has befallen my son isn't his. He must be set back on his rightful path."

"I must've hit my head harder then I thought." Xander said aloud. "A freakin' rock is talking to me."

"You will listen and obey lower being." Jor-El commanded his attention. "For the life of your companion will also be altered."

'Jesse.' Xander thought to himself. "What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Open up your mind to me." Jor-El said as the crystal emitted a red and blue light. As it washed over Xander's body an S symbol appeared on his chest, and just as quickly as it was there it disappeared. "And let the power of the kryptonian's flow through your veins."

As he said that Xander let out a scream as power he never imagined entered his body. As the lights faded he slumped to his knees, exhausted.

"Arise and go do what you must do." Jor-El said as the crystal Xander was holding disappeared.

Opening up his eyes, Xander saw that he was now in a hospital bed and that his left arm was in a sling. As he looked around he saw Lana and that black kid Pete, standing over him.

"Xander you're awake." Lana said as she touched his cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Just fine." he said sitting up. "Do you mind if I borrow this?" he asked as he took off her green gem necklace. Jumping out of bed, he ran out of the room and then the hospital. Looking around to see if the coast was clear he ran off with supersonic speed.

* * *

"You put up a good fight." Buffy was saying to Jesse as her minions held him down on his knees. "That's why I think I'll turn you into one of us."

"I'll, I'll rather die." Jesse replied as he looked up at her, with blood trickling down his face from a gash on his cheek.

"Suit yourself." she said nonchalantly with a growl as she leaned down to bite him.

"Am too late to join the party?" a voice asked from the shadows. Looking up all she could see was a blur that ripped her minions off of Jesse, sending them flying almost thirty feet up in the air.

"I see you." Clark said with a grin as he speed streaked and tripped up Xander sending him sprawling to the ground.

Using his new found strength Xander pushed him so hard that he crashed through the other side of the barn wall, sending him outside in an explosion of wood. Getting to his feet, Xander speed streaked after him.

"Looks like it's just you and..." before Buffy could finish her sentence she looked down and saw two darts sticking out of her chest. With a snarl on her lips she fell to the floor as a serum pumped through her body.

Standing up Jesse saw Chloe and a tall man with a bald head step out of the shadows.

"Are there anymore?" Lex Luthor asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Clark asked angrily as he and Xander circled each other.

"Merely a messenger." Xander replied as he ran forward and punched Clark in the chest. Shrugging off the punch Clark picked Xander up off of his feet and threw him up against the family tractor with enough force to almost destroy it.

Shaking the ringing that sounded off in his head, Xander struggled not to unleash power that threatened to admit from his eyes. Getting control of himself he speed streaked forward and knee'd Clark in the stomach, before ramming his elbow in the base of his neck.

As he leaned forward Xander took out Lana's necklace and pushed it into his face. Falling flat on his back, from the radiation of the green kryptonite, Xander stood over him and spotted the red necklace around his neck. Reaching down he yanked it off of Clarks neck and watched as a red aura of light snatched itself out of his body and went back into the red gem.

"What...what's going on?" Clark asked as the veins in his body started to appear. Putting Lana's necklace in his pocket, Xander crushed the red Kryptonite with his bare hands and as the dust of it floated in the wind so did his powers as they too fled his body.

"Come on man." Xander said as he helped him to his feet, as they both heard sirens in the distance. "We have some stuff we need to talk about."

* * *

"This must've been one hell of a night for all of you." Lex commented as he walked out of the barn and watched as the paramedics loaded up Buffy and the other sudo vampires.

"You don't know the half of it." Jesse said with a wince.

"Do you need to be taken to the hospital?"

"No...no I'm fine." Jesse said shaking off his concern, as Xander and Clark walked from behind the barn. "But I would like to know how you guys found out what was going on?"

"Well I can explain that." Chloe spoke up. "When you used my computer, I hit the back button on the web browser and I saw that you were looking up about vampires and the town's history dating back to a few month's ago. Well I got curious and I continued the search and I found a newspaper article about a girl getting attacked by a vampire bat and soon after some mysterious death's occured."

"So she got the idea to call me after finding out that Luthor Corp. sponsored the rescue of Buffy Sanders." Lex added. "And from there I told her that there was a cure and I would be down in Smallville soon."

"But how did you know where to find us?"

"Well that's a little harder to explain. There was a girl that called me by the name of Jaime and she told me where you were."

"Jaime?" Jesse asked, interrupting her.

"Yeah. After she told me where to find you, I told Lex to meet me here. She also told me to tell you that Erin was safe with her, that you're even now, and that you would know what she meant."

"Yeah..yeah we do." Jesse said looking back at Xander confused. "What are you doing out of the hospital?"

"I'll explain later." Xander replied. "It's a long story."

"Listen, I've gotta run." Lex said checking his watch. "I really would appreciate it if you all kept this incident to yourselves."

"Only if you do me a favor." Xander said.

"Name it." Lex commented, causing Xander to smile even as Martha and Jonathan ran up to see what was going on.

The Next Day

"I wish you guys could stay a little while longer." Lana was saying to Jesse as she entwined her hand with his and leaned on his shoulder.

"I do too." Jesse admitted as they walked off of the porch together. "But we have a strict schedule to keep if we want to visit all the states. It's funny though that we come into these new states to enjoy ourselves and it seems like everytime we always get caught up in crazy adventures."

"So this type of thing is normal to you?" Lana asked as she looked up at him, curious.

"I'm afraid it is...oh and that reminds me." he said taking her necklace off of his neck. "Xander said thanks for this. apparently it really came in handy."

"For what?" she asked as she put it around her neck. "And why are his wounds and his arm healed?"

"Hey Jess you ready to go?" Xander asked, causing Jesse not to answer Lana's question, as he walked out of the house carrying a few of their bags.

"Not before I say thank you." Nell said as she walked out of the house beaming widely. "I just got off of the phone with Lex Luthor and he said that our debt was wiped clean. I don't know how you boys did it but thank you."

"It was all in an honest days work ma'am." Xander said bowing his head.

"Well when you boys come to town again be sure to look us up. Hey who's that?" she asked as she saw a car approaching. Stopping the car in front of the house the gang saw that it was Chloe, Pete, and Clark.

"You guys weren't leaving without saying goodbye were you?" Chloe asked as she walked towards them.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Xander said giving her a quick hug. "And thank you again for your help last night."

"No thank you. Because of last night you inspired me to make something."

"What is it?"

"Every since that meteor shower that hit Smallville years ago wierd things have been happening and I've always collected pictures of them." Chloe started. "But from what happened last night, I'm gonna put all of those pics together on my wall and I'm gonna call it the wall of wierd."

"Listen, I wanted to apologize again for what I did to you. I really can't remember..." Clark started as he pulled Xander to the side.

"Don't worry about it man."

"I...I did want to ask you about something though." he said making sure no one was listening. "It's about your powers..."

"You really should ask your father about that."

"What does my dad have to do with anything?" Clark asked confused.

"I'm not talking about the one that lives on the farm Clark. I'm talking about the one that lives up there." he said pointing to the sky. Patting him on the shoulder at his confused look, Xander walked off to join the others. And when he got home Clark knew that he had to have a long conversation with his parents about his past.

"Now there's only one more thing for us to do before we leave town." Jesse said to the others.

"What's that?" Lana asked.

"For you guys to take a picture with us." Jesse replied as he took his camera out of his side pocket. As the group got together, Nell took their picture and after saying their goodbyes Xander and Jesse got back on the highway.

"So are you and Lana gonna stay in touch?"

"Yeah, I have her phone number and her address, I'll probably talk to her all the time." Jesse replied looking at Xander suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because that guy Clark might have something to say about it."

"That jerk doesn't deserve her."

"He isn't so bad."

"Are you kidding?" Jesse asked incredously. "He almost killed you and what was up with those freaky powers of his?"

"He was born that way and believe me or not but he'll be a hero one day." Xander said looking over at him. "Besides it was that red gem that made him that way."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Just trust me."

"So where are we headed now?" Jesse asked, causing Xander to smile over at him.

"We're going to the big easy."

Luthor Corp.

Secret Underground Lab

Buffy stood in a restraining cell only a few feet wide, strapped in by metal bars, with electrodes attached to her head. Shivering in fear, she looked at someone pacing just outside of her cell.

"Congratulations miss Sanders." Lex started as he got off his cellphone with his father Lionel. He had only given Buffy a powerful sleeping agent to fool the others into thinking he had given her the cure like he did the others. "Because you're gonna be apart of my newest experiment."

"But what about the cure?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Oh I'll give it to you." Lex replied reassuringly. "Just as soon as you fulfill your purpose to me. Until then welcome to hell." he said as he walked down the long dark hallway, the cries of his other experiments filling his ears.

A/N Little is known about the character Buffy Sanders when she was first turned into a vampire. Having said that I wanted to show a little about what she did before she went to a sorority and made other vampires.


	7. Chapter 6 Hail To The King

A/N This isn't a crossover with any specific Evil Dead movie, but rather the character of Ash. Enjoy.

Chapter 6

Hail To The King

Death Valley

Demon Dimension H

A sound was building. Like a living wind. A thousand screams in agony. From the blackness, gusts of smoke pulled together quickly making all natural sounds from the forest die out, and the autumn colors in the trees to fade to a gloomy gray. Outside, clouds rolled in from the east as thunder boomed in the distance, and the wind picked up, as it began to rain.

Blood red clouds swept past the moon as a section of ground deep within the woods began to crack, and open. Smoke seeped out from within, as if some evil force was now being unleashed.

A man stood at the edge of the woods sweating, bloody, dirty, and clutching a double barrel shotgun in his hand. He was in his late thirties, with a square jaw firmly set and a pair of haunted eyes which darted about quickly in fear.

'Come on...come on...' he chanted to himself as his fingers thrummed the base of his weapon.

Suddenly blackbirds started to fly from a barren tree, as something moved in the darkness. It prowled, skimming the surface of the ground, moving swiftly past rocks and over the crest of a hill revealing... a ten foot tall ogre. With drooling fangs, that dripped onto his coal black skin, his single yellow eye roamed down until he was looking at the smaller man.

"Did you really think that you could run from my lord, Astiwad, Ash?" the demon asked, his voice echoing throughout the valley.

"The thought crossed my mind." Ash said as he chambered a round.

"Insulant fool. Your death will be pleasing to my dark lord."

"Well then let's rock baby!" Ash yelled out, as the ogre threw a chained mace at him. Dodging out of the way the huge spiked ball hit a tree, sending up an explosion of wood and a shower of saw dust.

Coming up out of his roll, he tried to aim the rifle only for the ogre to run at him lightning fast. Snatching Ash off of the ground, the ogre held him in a vice like grip as he smiled at him.

"You're mine." it said as it opened his mouth to eat him.

"That sound's like pillow talk baby." Ash joked, as he managed to lift up his shotgun. "Say hello to Mr. boomstick."

"Wha..." was the last thing the ogre managed to get out as Ash squeezed the trigger, shooting him in the eye. As the blood covered his face, the beast let out a agonizing cry before it began to fall over. Getting out of it's grasp in time, Ash fell to the ground and quickly stood up, letting out a wince as it did so.

"Another day..." he started as he twirled the shotgun about western style: whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... and holstered it. "another demon." _At least I kept that damn demon out of the village. Now finally Astiwad'll leave me the hell alone._

As he was about to walk off a loud boom sounded off in the distance. Looking up, he saw smoke billowing up from deep in the valley. Taking off in a run he scooped up his chainsaw with his guantlet hand, strapped it to his back, and ran towards the screams.

As he arrived in the small village, he heard and saw the villagers running about and screaming. All of their houses were on fire and the sick stench of roasted flesh filled the air. Seeing an elderly man running past him, he reached out and grabbed him by the arm.

"Luther what the hell is going on?"

"I am!" a voice grumbled from behind him. As he looked up to the sky, as it rumbled and crackled with lightning, a fiery visage of a demon filled the air. "You will never escape from my wrath. The book of..."

"The Dead is destroyed." Ash cut him off. "I destroyed that damn thing years ago."

"Pity." Astiwad said as fire started to fill the sky.

"Ash!" he heard a woman's voice yell out.

"Daddy!" another little voice yelled as Ash turned his head. Looking back to a hut, he saw his wife and his daughter standing there looking at him with tears in their eyes. Before he could run to assure them that everything would be alright a rain of fire shot down out of the sky, destroying them and the house.

"No!"

"Yes!" Astiwad said with a smile in his voice. "You were warned." he said as he readied another attack.

Before he could let loose another torrent of fire, someone tackled Ash to the ground, just as Astiwad unleashed his power. Looking beside himself at the figure who had saved him, Ash saw that it was his father in law, Jerod.

"Why?" Ash asked the elderly man. He was ready to finally die so he could be with his wife and child.

"Because there is yet more for you to do son." Jerod said as he reached into his shirt pocket and handed him a folded up piece of paper. Opening it, he saw that it was the last page of the book of the dead. Before Ash could say anything, he heard Jerod mumbling something under his breath, even as a dark portal opened twenty feet beside them.

"Jerod what the hell is going on?"

"That portal will send you to your right time and dimension." the old man replied, as they both stood to their feet. "You must go, quickly."

"You had the power to send me home all this time?" Ash asked more then a little agitated, as he heard the cries of the villagers and the growls of demons that were attacking them.

"Yes, now you must go!" Jerod yelled. Ignoring him Ash retrived his shotgun in order to help the villagers and as he ran forward Jerod pushed him so hard that he fell towards the open gateway.

Standing to his feet Ash saw a demon running up behind the man he had seen as his father for the past eight years. Before he could raise up his gun to fire off a shot he was suddenly sucked up into the portal, Jerod's neck snapping being the last thing he heard of their world.

Inside the portal Ash was swept away, hand over foot, through the dark void of dimensions. A tendril of smoke swirled through blackness as a chorus of women's voices built to an eerie crescendo, from a musical note to a scream. The smoke swirled, pulling in upon itself, until it opened up in another dimension.

Spilling out of the open end of the portal Ash fell to the ground with an audible thump, his double barreled shotgun landing beside him. As the last eight years of his life played throughout his mind, he thought back to all of the things he had lost. With a tear in his eye, he rolled over onto his back and stood to his feet. As he did so he saw the headlights of a car and was nearly run over.

* * *

Xander and Jesse had the best time imaginable in their stay in New Orleans. They partied, met some beautiful girls, but what made it so good was that they hadn't run into any trouble. No vampires, no demons, nothing.

As the Impala started to cross a bridge that would take them out of town, Xander's eyes started to get heavy and he closed them for a second. As he opened them they widened as the the car almost rammed into a man standing in the middle of the road. Swerving out of the way, he pumped the brakes and skidded the car to a halt.

"What...what's going on?" Jesse asked, instantly awake as he looked around.

"I almost hit somebody."

"Again?" Jesse asked incredously. "Man what's the matter with you?" he asked as he looked in the side view mirror and saw a man picking up a shotgun. "Xander drive off."

"Why?"

"Just drive..."

"Hey asshole!" the man yelled out in a voice that was familiar to Xander. "Watch where you're going."

"I can't believe this." Xander said stepping out of the car.

"Xander what the hell are you doing?" Jesse asked as his best friend stepped away from the car. "Xander!"

"What are you looking at jackass?" Ash asked as the youth approaching him stared at him up and down. "Don't you know how to drive?"

"Yeah, my uncle Ash taught me when I was five." Xander said as he stared at the man hard.

"Xander?" Ash asked, as he searched his memory of that event. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he gave him a hug.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing." Xander said pulling away from him. "Where have you been? You've been missing for over ten years..."

"Well ummm..." before Ash could come up with a convincing lie they both heard a menacing growl behind them. Turning they saw a demon with long straggly hair and big white eyes running out of the darkness.

Immediately getting into a defensive stance, Xander was about to try to fight the creature off until his uncle calmly stepped in front of him, lifted up his shotgun and blasted it with a deafening shot.

As a fountain of blood squirted out of what was left of the things head, Ash kicked it in the chest sending it toppling over the railing of the bridge and into the murky water below.

"Damn!" Ash cursed to himself. "That was my last bullet."

"Uhhh..."was all Xander could manage to get out as his mouth hung open.

"I can explain." Ash quickly said to his nephew. He tried to think up something fast, anything so that Xander wouldn't think he was crazy.

"Is this gonna be the talk where you tell me demons aren't real?" Xander asked. "Because if so, I have to tell ya I'm a little to old for that lie."

"Is everything okay?" Jesse asked as he ran up to them, shotgun in hand.

"Yeah." Xander said looking back at him. "Just as soon as I get some answers."

Belling's Motel

Stepping freshly out of the shower, wearing some of Xander's clothes Ash finished drying off his hair before throwing his towel on a arm chair. He hadn't had a shower or a decent shave in years and like most people he took that for granted. Sitting down in the chair himself , he looked over at his nephew and the geeky kid he remembered meeting in Sunnydale, and watched as they silently looked at him patiently. Clearing his throat he began his story.

"This all started over ten years ago when me and some friends found the book of the dead."

"The book of the what?" Jesse asked.

"I first saw the damn thing at that blasted cabin in tennessee." Ash continued. "It was an ancient Sumarrian text, bound in human flesh and inked in human blood. It contained bizarre burial rites, prophesies...and instruction for demon resurrection. It was never meant for the world of the living."

"But where have you been all this time?" Xander asked. "You and aunt Cheryl..."

"Your aunt Cheryl is dead." Ash interrupted his diatribe.

"What...I... what got her?" Xander asked calming down a bit. "Was it some kind of demon?"

"No...no." the older man said letting out a breath. "I killed her." before Xander could protest in outrage, Ash explained to him about his sister's possession by an evil spirit and later about what happened to the rest of his friends.

"So that's how you lost your hand?" Jesse asked, as he awkwardly stared at Ash's metal hand. Whenever they had gotten possessed by something in Sunnydale, it was never serious of that magnitude and sometimes it was downright funny. But this...

"It was one of the hardest things, I've ever had to do in my life." he admitted, as he subconsciously rubbed at where his hand used to be. "As for where, I've been after I left from the medevil times and returned home some demons tracked me down. I fought them but too many came and they knocked me out. When I woke up I was in another dimension. I killed off all of those suckers, but I was still stuck in that dimension so I decided to make the best of it. I got married and I had a kid..."

"So where are they?" Xander asked, somehow already knowing the answer. As Ash put his head down, that seemed to confirm everything for him.

"Listen we'll trade more war stories in the morning." Ash said as he stood to his feet. "I'm beat."

"Yeah...yeah definately." Xander said with a yawn himself. With that said they all went to their respective rooms to get some sleep.

Lightning suddenly struck as something outside examined the small motel. Through the outside window, it saw Xander sitting down in his bed, before moving around the place to another window. It then watched the silhouette of Jesse undressing before it continued around and arrived at Ash's window. Inside, he looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, then moved to the window. Remembering something he reached in his shirt pocket and uncrumpled the last page from the book of the dead. Closing his eyes, he placed it back in his shirt and went to bed.

The Next Day

Early Morning

Ash tilted his head back and laughed deep in his throat, as Jesse and Xander told him about their exploits on the hellmouth. For a long time he knew that demons existed, but he didn't know how far people would go to keep the lie of them not being real.

"So you mean to tell me that Xander cast a love spell on the whole town?" Ash asked throughout his laughter.

"Yup."

"Damn, what the hell were you thinking?" he asked his nephew.

"That's not even the funniest part." Jesse continued. "Not only was the whole female population of the whole town after him, but this vampire named Drusilla wanted him too."

"Out of the frying pan and in to the fire." Ash said with another chuckle. "That's Harris luck for you."

"So what do you have planned since you're back?" Xander asked, after a few more minutes of reminiscing.

"Honestly, I don't know."

"Hey why don't you come on our road trip with us?" Jesse suggested.

"Yeah..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa guys." Ash said putting his hands up. "This is your summer vacation. You don't want an old...well not so old guy like me slowing you down."

"You won't be. And it's not like we can't afford it." Xander said taking out a wad of cash.

"Hey where did you get that?" Jesse asked, eyeing the money.

"Let's just say that Shawn wasn't the only one to take money from Tipton." he answered, before turning back to his uncle. "So what do you say?"

"I tell you what." Ash said standing to his feet. "I'll hang out with you guys...well until I find something better." he said looping his arms around Xander and Jesse's shoulders. "Now come on and let's get some breakfast. We'll let Mr. Money Bags over here pay."

The group then spent the whole day out, getting Ash new clothes and getting caught up on world events. And by world events I mean going to the nearest bar and getting plastered. As they finally arrived back at the motel, Ash got out first and looked back at his nephew and his new friend.

"I'll be in, in a minute. I'm just going to get my stuff." after seeing them disappear into the motel, Ash put a grimace on his face as he took two small roses out of his pocket and kneeled down beside the car and put them on the ground. "Morgan, Kathy I wish that the both of you were here." he said with a frustrated sigh as he thought about his dead wife and daughter. "I'm sorry I couldn't save the both of you in time and I wanted Kathy to grow up in my time..."

"And she still can." a voice said startling him. Looking up Ash saw an elderly man standing over him.

"Listen old timer I don't know what..."

"Come now Ash." the old man started. "Don't tell me you don't recognize my voice?"

"Astiwad." he replied standing to his feet.

"In the flesh." Astiwad replied as he held his hands up in a grand gesture. "Well not my flesh, but with your help that can all change." For some reason when he arrived in this dimension his powers increased nearly two fold, almost as if an ancient power source existed in this world. But still without the last page of the book of the dead, he still wouldn't gain his full power.

"I oughta kill you..."

"And risk not getting your wife and daughter back?" he asked making Ash stop walking. "Yes that's right Ash. I can bring your lovely wife and daughter back. All I need you to do is give me the last page of the book of the dead and in return I'll give you back what I took away."

"I...I can't believe I'm about to do this." Ash said reaching into his back pocket. Not taking anything out, he immediately tried to back hand Astiwad with his metallic hand. Before it could make contact however, Astiwad crumbled into dust.

"You made the wrong choice." he heard Astiwad's disemboweled voice say into the wind.

Sensing movement around himself he looked around and saw a few people stepping out of the shadows. A bit unnerved he walked past the rooms to go to his, when a face suddenly appeared in one of the windows, watching him. Ahead of him, a hooker and her client emerged from a room and they both suddenly turned and stared at him.

Running past them he quickly opened the door to his room, but before he walked inside he looked back at the crowd coming out of the shadows. As he did so he saw that the crowd, weren't people at all but rather demons. Demons of all shapes and sizes as a matter of fact.

Eyes widening Ash lunged at the door, slamming it shut, locking the approaching mob of demons outside. Breathing heavily he leaned against the door with all his force.

"What's going on?" Xander asked as he and Jesse ran into the room.

"Get your stuff ready." Ash said as the demons started to pounded on the other side of the door. "We gotta get out of here."

Giving Jesse a look, Xander ran in the other room to get their stuff. Moving over to the side, Ash gave Jesse just enough room to help him lean up against the door.

"How many demons are there?" Jesse asked, as he heard them growling.

"To many to count and it looks like he even has some control over a few humans."

"He?" Jesse asked. Before he could get an answer Xander ran back into the room carrying their bags.

"Alright I got all of our stuff." Xander started as he dropped the bags on the floor. "But how the hell are we gonna get out of here. We don't have any weapons."

"We have one." Ash said spotting his chainsaw on the couch.

Stepping away from the door he took off his metallic hand and inserted the stump of his right arm into the female end of his chainsaw arm bracket. After hearing a noise he twisted his stump and the chainsaw bracket locked into place, with a soft clicking sound. After hearing that noise he thrusted his chainsaw arm outward, pulling on the starter cord; that made a loud putt...putt...putt noise but the engine wouldn't turn over. Cursing himself he yanked on the cord again. Still not having and luck he was about to pull it again until the pounding on the door suddenly stopped.

"They're...they're gone." Jesse said as he nervously looked out of the window.

"I still say that we should get out of here." and as soon as those words left Ash's mouth they all heard a strange scratching noise. Like someone dragging something.

"What's that noise?" Xander asked as he looked about the room.

"I think it's coming from the..." caught off guard they watched as a blade popped out through the floor, followed by a half-rotten human head. Just the eyes were above the surface of the floor board and they darted about wildly and halted upon Ash. As it sat up more worms crawled from the things rotted forehead and fell to the floor.

One of the zombies arms ripped through the floor and grabbed Ash's leg as he tried to back away. The corpse that was once a serial killer then pulled itself from the grave and emitted a wail, as his other arm came up still holding onto the axe. Letting go of Ash's leg. he turned his body and got up and out of the floor.

With a sharp recoil, then spring, the killer made a lunge at Ash, his face contorting, teeth lengthening, mouth opening impossibly wide as though he were going to swallow Ash's head, and all as he lunged forward.

Trying the cord one more time the motor of the chainsaw kicked to life. Raising his arm up, Ash caught the zombie through the stomach with the blade causing bits on bone, flesh, and blood to splatter on the wall. With a scream, Ash kicked the demon off the end of the saw and as it fell down to it's knee's he lobbed off his head.

"Let's move!" Ash yelled as Xander and Jesse grabbed their bags. Opening up the door the three cautiously stepped out of the building and looked around.

"The coast is clear." Xander said as he and the others ran for the safety of the car. As they all got in, Xander flicked on the headlights and they all gasped at the huge horde of demons that now stood thirty feet in front of the car.

As the mob, followed by a shadowed Astiwad, approached the car, Xander put it in reverse, screeching the tires as he pulled away. Astiwad only watched them go with a sinister smile on his face.

Even Later That Night

Xander drove the car off the road near a gas station where the team checked out the people there.

"Do you think this place is safe?" Jesse asked as he stepped out of the car and looked around. So far everything looked normal and nobody looked possessed.

"I don't know, but there's a whole lotta people here for my tastes." Ash told him.

"Well, it's better than the last couple of places we've been too." Xander said as he went to the gas pump, put in a credit card and started to pump some gas. "And we won't make it out of the city without any gas so we better hurry up."

"Soccer mom, 12 o'clock!" Jesse yelled out as he pointed over Ash's shoulder.

A woman then swung a huge wrench at Ash, but he dodged and punched her down. A man dressed in camouflage ran up behind Jesse with a broken bottle and as he jabbed it at him Jesse barely was able to move out of the way even as he punched the bigger man down.

"Guy's the car's full come on." Xander warned, even as more people came out of the shadows.

Jumping back into the car, Xander put the car in gear and drove off just as the man with a wrench reached the car. The man rolled off of the hood of the car and fell to the ground as they drove off so fast the tires screeched. As they drove down the highway two police cars followed them with sirens blaring. The man with the wrench then sat up and watched them go, laughing in Astiwad's voice.

After driving nearly ten minutes Xander pulled the car off to the side of the road and stopped the car in a wooded clearing. Just as he stopped the car and turned off the lights, two squad cars zoomed by where they were.

"Good we managed to ditch them." Ash said as he got out of the car.

"Now that we don't have to worry about them tell us what's going on." Xander said as he walked up to his uncle.

"What makes you think I know what's going on?" Ash asked, causing Xander to give him a look. Blowing out a sigh, Ash leaned up against the car before he started talking. "We'll set up camp here. Once we build a fire I'll tell you what I know."

As the group located some wood, they all sat around the bonfire they had made and looked at Ash expectantly.

"That demon from the other dimension is here." Ash started as he put his hands near the fire. "Right before I came into the motel earlier Astiwad approached me."

"What did he want?" Jesse asked.

"A trade, He said that he would give me back my child and my wife in exchange for this." he said reaching into his pocket and taking out the final page of the book of the dead.

"I thought you said they were dead?" Xander asked.

"They are, but with this..." Ash said looking down at the ancient parchment. "They could be brought back to life. But if Astiwad get's his hands on this and rises to power..."

"It'll be game over." Jesse finished for him.

"Well I'm going to go back to the car, get my cellphone and call Giles." Xander said standing to his feet and walking off. "Maybe he'll know what to do."

As he left a sudden gust of wind whipped up the flames of the fire, as wolves in the distance began to snarl and fight. Hearing footsteps Ash and Jesse turned to see an old woman, wearing a robe coming out of the shadows.

Seeing that she was standing too close to the fire, Ash was about to warn her until her robe caught on fire. Paying it no mind the flames sweeped up her body as she continued to walked towards them as if nothing were going on.

Slowly standing to their feet, the burning woman spun sharply at them and spoke in a horribly shrieked voice.

"YOU SHALL ALL DIE!" she yelled out as her eyes turned bone white. Her burning body then violently jerked about in the air by invisible hands. Her blackened lips pulled back in a wild animal snarl. With two voices at once she spoke again. "YOU SHALL NEVER WIN THIS BATTLE. WE SHALL FEAST UPON YOUR SOUL, AND THEN THE SOUL OF MAN!" with that said she collapsed to the ground, still burning. Her face turned away from them as it layed in the mud.

"Well that was one hell of a message." Ash said as he looked over at Jesse.

Unseen by them, her bone white eyes flared open as a nasty grin formed on her face as she laid still.

"Do you think she's dead?" Jesse asked as he kneeled and reaches for her. Suddenly Ash's hand clutched Jesse's, not allowing him to touch her.

"It's a trick. Get my chainsaw." hearing him say that the possessed woman awakened from her false slumber with a terrible bark of laughter. In a frenzy she hurled Jesse into the bonfire, making him scream and roll in the mud, extinguishing the flames.

As it jumped into the air, lunging for Ash, a shotgun blast suddenly filled the night knocking her down into the fire. As she stood up in it, Xander cocked the gun slide back, aimed at her head and literally blew her brains out.

"You guy's okay?" Xander asked as he ran back towards them.

"My clothes are just a little bit crispy." Jesse said standing up, glad that he wasn't burnt. "But I'll live."

"What did your friend say?" Ash asked as they silently walked towards the car.

"He said that Astiwad is the lord over darkness. He has the power to tap into a certain person's dark side and use them."

"So that's how he got those people at the hotel and the gas stations under his control." Ash said aloud.

"But that's not all that he said." Xander went on. "He said that if Astiwad becomes corporeal that he'll..."

"Take over the world." a voice said from the shadows.Looking up the gang saw a robed Astiwad and a band of thirty of his deciples, both human and demon, stepping from behind a group of trees.

"It looks like it's time for the big fight scene." Jesse loosely commented, as Xander tossed him a sword from the trunk he had left open.

"It looks like." Astiwad said as they all charged each other.

Ash elbowed a demon in the face, before moving on to his next opponent. As Jesse turned around to kill another demon, a man suddenly walked up to him and pressed a gun to his head.

"Xander!" Xander heard Jesse yell out.

Looking over his shoulder Xander saw what was going on and fought off the people attacking him while he tried to get to him. Using his sword he slashed through a crowd of demons but someone knocked him down. As he looked up a man pointed a gun in his face.

Seeing that he was about to help his friend, another person knocked Jesse in the head, with the butt of his rifle making him fall limply to the ground. Ash now was the only one still fighting back - he was definitely holding his own against the attackers until he was face-to- face with the demon Astiwad possessed. With a growl Astiwad lifted up a beefy hand and knocked Ash twenty feet across the wood. Clearing the cobwebs out of his head, when Ash looked up he saw Astiwad standing over him with a sword.

"The road ends here, Ash." Astiwad said as he raised the sword to his neck. "Now give me the text or he dies." he said pointing the sword over at Xander, of whom was being held down on his knees by a group of demons, along side Jesse.

"You son of a..."

"Ahh, ahhh, ahhh." Astiwad softly chided. "Just give me the parchment and I'll let all of you live."

"This ain't over between me and you, Ass." Ash said as he handed Astiwad the last piece of the text.

Putting a smile on his face, Astiwad turned around and began reading from the text. Finishing off the spell a huge red vortex opened in front of him.

"Finally!" he yelled out as a fire in his hand consumed the text. "My destiny will be fulfilled."

"I don't think so." Ash said grabbing up his chainsaw as he ran forward and pushed Astiwad into the portal. Giving one final look at his nephew, he jumped in after him.

"Uncle Ash no!" Xander yelled out as he came around and saw what was happening. 'Damnit not again.'

* * *

Ash tumbled out of the portal and down into a massive pit. He landed in a steaming pool of foul water at the pit's bottom. Standing to his feet he coughed out a mouthful of the rancid water. As he looked about he saw a shadow disappear into the blackness.

"Come on Astiwad." Ash said as he spun around to a small sound. Nothing. Just the mist rising from the water, making him shift his glance again. "You're not afraid of little ole me are you?"

A shadow suddenly rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Ash didn't notice the misty water behind him beginning to stir. Bubbles. A hand then emerged. Silently, a pair of bone white eyes broke the surface. Hearing water dripping Ash spun around but there was nothing there. As he turned back around, he saw Astiwad standing right in front of him. The demon's rotted corpse rocketed up from the water inches from Ash's face, even as the putrid water drained from it's empty eye sockets and mouth.

"Ooooo..." Ash screamed out as he backed up against the steep rock wall of the pit. Looking up he saw his chainsaw on the edge of the pit top. He tried to scale the steep face and as he got one foot up, Astiwad clutched his ankle and yanked him back down, his arms flailing.

Before Ash could sit up the demon grabbed him and began hammering him with his rotted fists. Opening up his eyes Ash was just in time to see the demon punch him in the face again. Letting him go he was knocked back into the shallow pool of steaming water.

"Come now Ash." Astiwad said as he raced toward him, leaped into the air and came down with a knee drop onto Ash's stomach, making him cry out in pain. "Show me what you're really made of." with that said Ash crossed his legs to form a scissor lock around the demons throat. Using the reserves of his strength he flipped the beast over.

Getting to his feet the now bloody Ash was grabbed by the throat and was thrown against the rock wall of the pit. As Astiwad advanced on him, Ash's head jolted backward, barely avoiding the beast's wild swing. Feeling sunlight being reflected on his face Ash squinted to discern an object falling at him through the glare above. His eyes widening in surprise he saw that it was his chainsaw tumbling downward. Blinding beams of sunlight bouncing off its blade of steel. Ash's Excalibur!

Summoning the last of his strength Ash leaped upward, his teeth gritted, every muscle straining, he managed to snag the chainsaw, locking in onto his wrist bracket. Ash with his chainsaw landed on his feet, in the path of the approaching beast.

"Come on, you blasted piece of..." he said to himself as he thrusted out his chainsaw arm, yanking the starter cord and... VERRROOOOOOM!!

Not caring Astiwad lunged at Ash, his bladed weapon meeting him with a loud Buzzzzz, that cut off Astiwad's hand. Ash was splattered with black bile as he effieiently cut off his hand. The severed hand then flew upward, past the face of the bewildered beast, making Astiwad tremble with anger.

"Look what you've done to me! I was to be perfect in this world!" the demon yelled out.

"With a face like that?" Ash asked as he raised the chainsaw blade and neatly bisected the falling demon hand. Catching him off guard he spun and with a roundhouse blow... Ash decapitated Astiwad. "There's no way you could be perfect."

'Rest in peace Morgan and Kathy.' he thought to himself as the last remnants of the demon king sank beneath the murky waters of the pit. Letting out a deep breath Ash climbed the steep wall of the pit and out towards the glowing vortex.

"Our master will soon come and take both of your soul's." a tall black demon was saying as he had Jesse and Xander backlined up on their knees in front of him. He paced in front of them angrily as his people pointed guns at their captives. "And when that happens..." before he could say anything else a wave of magic passed through him and the other cult members.

"What's, what's going on?" Jesse asked as they all looked as if they were about to pass out. Before Xander could answer the lead demon looked over at them angrily with red glowing eyes.

"Hey buddy." he said with a new york accent. "What the hell are ya on your knees for?" it asked as it reached under it's robe and pulled out a huge knife, cutting off Xander and Jesse's bonds.

"Ummm thanks." Xander said ackwardly as he and Jesse stood to their feet, rubbing at their wrists.

"Not a problem." he responded as he looked around. "Hey what the hell am I doing here? One minute I'm sipping on a beer and the next I'm here."

"I have no idea." Jesse told him.

"No big deal." he said hunching up his shoulders. "I'll just follow the rest of those mooks." he said as he saw people with the same kind of robe he was wearing walking out of the woods.

"What was that all about?" Jesse asked as he looked after them.

"I think my uncle won." Xander commented. 'Now where the hell is he?' as if on cue the portal opened once again and Ash slowly walked out of it, sagging down to his knees as it closed behind him.

"Are you okay?" Xander asked as he ran up to him, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah." Ash replied as he spat out a clump of blood. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

The Next Day

The group went back to the hotel and rested for the night. Luckily for them the police were under Astiwad's control at the time, so they didn't have to worry about getting arrested. After getting the rest the needed the three of them got back on the highway.

"So where are we headed to now?" Jesse asked from the back seat.

"Well I think Tennessee is definitely out of the question now." Xander said as he gave his uncle a sideways glance.

"Well where does that leave us?"

"I think we'll try Mississippi." Xander said as he laid his foot down heavily on the gas, going past the now leaving Louisiana sign.

A/N Since Ash's last name is Williams, I made him Xander's uncle on his mother's side.


	8. Chapter 7 Ghosts of Mississippi

A/N This chapter deals with racism and contains some racist words and views. Viewer discretion is advised. Also Hatten if you're reading this, this is your part of the story that I promised.

Chapter 7

Ghosts of Mississippi

Mississippi

1987

Deep in a great open field men in bedsheets paraded around in formation before a huge fiery cross.

The ranks of hooded men, chanting in a high hillbilly wail, intersect and shuffle like a marching band at halftime. At length they stop in perfect formation, still chanting, to face the Imperial Wizard, who stood in front of the burning cross dressed in a red satin robe and hood trimmed with gold. An aisle led through the middle of the

formation to the burning cross, before which a rope with a noose. The backmost row has stopped, facing away from the bushes

As the chanting continued, two Klansmen lead a black man out on a horse, whom they had tied up by either arm, up the aisle toward a tree.

"I ain't never harmed any you boys!" the black man yelled over the chanting.

"Shut up nigger." a tall Klansman growled as he popped him on the back of the head with a slapjack. "Nobody said you could talk."

A broad-shouldered man in the middle of the ranks of Klansmen, after hearing something, slowly turned to look back over his shoulder. He thus revealed that his hood had only one eye- hole. He then slowly drew off his hood and his one good eye looked about; his other eye, now revealed, was hideously clouded and stared up and off in fixed sightlessness. Thinking he was just imagining the noise he turned around and looked towards the others.

Off to one side was a robed and hooded three-man color guard displaying a Confederate flag. In front of the crowd the Imperial Wizard raised one satin- draped arm, and the chanting stopped.

"Brothers! We are foregathered here to preserve our hallowed culture'n heritage. From intrusions, inclusions and dilutions. Of culluh. Of creed. Of our ol'-time religion."

"Yes brother." a klansman said out of the crowd.

"We aim to pull evil up by the root. Before it chokes out the flower of our culture'n heritage. And our women. Let's not forget those ladies, y'all, lookin' to us for p'tection. From darkies. From Jews. From Papists. And from all those smart-ass folk say we come descended from the monkeys. That's not my culture'n heritage!" the wizard yelled out, getting a roar from the crowd.

"Izzat your culture'n heritage?" he asked. "And so... we gonna hang us a neegra." he said smiling under his mask, as he got another huge roar from the crowd, even as the ranks resumed their chanting.

"Looks like your times up boy." the klansman that hit him growled as he pushed him forward.

"No...I.. I have a family. A little girl..."

"Don't worry." one of them said as he put the noose around the black man's neck. "We'll take care of her sooner or later. Now ha..." he said as he slapped the horse on the back making it speed off.

"No..." was the last thing he heard, followed by the sickening crack of his neck.

"Justice is served." the Imperial wizard said to himself smiling broadly. As the party started to die down they all heard a loud wailing sound, followed by the sobs of a woman.

Hearing where it was coming from, the klansman with the one good eye slowly walked over to the bushes and threw back some of the branches.

"Neegras!" he yelled loudly, making his klansmen jump into action. Seeing that she was discovered, the black woman grabbed her one year old daughter up and took off running.

"Get her!" the Imperial Wizard yelled as his boys snacthed up some rifles and took off running.

* * *

Marie ran as fast as she could through the dark woods and the swampy water, as she clutched her daughter closer to her. She had just witnessed her husband Daniel get hanged, and all she could do was cry out.

Running through a clearing of trees, after seeing the lights of lanterns and hearing the barks of dogs in the distance, she turned and ran smack dab into a body. Relief flooding her, she looked up and saw a familiar face. He was a tall skinny white man, with red hair, a cowboy hat and soft eyes.

"John, please take Rona." Marie said hurriedly as she placed her quiet daughter into his arms.

"Marie what the hell is..."

"The klan killed Daniel." she interrupted him, tears freely flowing down her beautiful face.

"God." John said as he bowed his head respectively and thought about his friend. They had known each other and had been bestfriends for years.

"Just take care of my daughter for me Hatten." Marie said as the sounds of the dogs got closer.

"What the hell are you talking about?" John asked. "You're gonna come with me, where you'll be safe. There's still time to..."

"They saw my face Hatten and I saw some of theirs. And you know betta' then I do that they'll destroy our town...kill all the black folk just to get to me. I...I can't have that on my head."

"But Marie you gotta..."

"Baby listen to me." Marie said with a smile, as she ignored John's words and looked at her daughter.

"Momma...?" little Rona asked as she held her arms out for her mother to take.

"I know that you're to young to understand right now but momma has to go away. Your uncle Hatten is gonna take care of you now." she said looking up at her childhood friend.

"That neegra woman ain't far from here! I can feel it in my bones!" they heard someone yell out, not to far from them.

"Hatten go!" Marie all but yelled out as she looked up at him. With a tear in his eyes now at the sacrifice she was about to make, Hatten tipped his hat low and ran for all he was worth in the other direction.

Watching him run off, Marie was tempted for a second to run after him until a hand grabbed her violently by the arm.

"There you are bitch!" the klansman with the one eye hole growled out, as the dogs stood snapping at her heels. "Now it's time for you too hang."

"Let's take her back to the field. She's gonna swing next to her husband." the Imperial Wizard said as he slapped her hard on the back of the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking her unconcious.

As Marie opened her eyes she saw that, she was sitting on a horse with a noose around her neck and rope binding her hands.

"So you finally awake gurl." the Imperial Wizard said as he saw her eyes open. "That's good, because I wanted you to see yer own self die." looking to the left of herself, she cringed as she saw the dead body of her husband, slowly swinging in the tree. The noise of the rope swinging, unnerved her but also gave her the strength to say what needed to be said.

"For what you've done tonight, I curse you. I'll see you burn." she said looking at every face, every hood that stood around her, before settling on the Imperial wizard. Most of the people she knew, because of their voices and some because of their movements.

"You hear that boys?" a klansman asked as he looked around at the others. "She cursed us. She must be a witch?"

"You know what they say about witches in the bible dont'cha? Just be lucky we ain't making you burn." the one with the one good eye said as he slapped the horse, making it speed away. With a startled cry Marie was ripped off the horse and heard only the hollow crack of her neck as she joined her husband in oblivion. "Alright boys, let's cut them down and bury..."

"No." the Imperial Wizard said hoarsely. Marie's last words still ringing in his ears.

"Sir, we can't just leave them here. The people..."

"I don't give a damn what the people think. I'm the damn sheriff." Sheriff Williams yelled as he angrily threw off his hood. He was in his mid thirties, with cold blue eyes and a tiny scar on his forehead. "Now pack up all of our things so we can go. Let's leave these two love birds alone."

Present Day

"Man this is the most fun, I've had in a long time." Jesse said as he and Xander carried their fishing poles away from a small lake. "I haven't been fishing since I was a little kid."

"I told ya, all we needed was a little r&r." Ash said putting the pole and his cooler of fish in the trunk of the car.

"Yeah we haven't had any of that since we started this trip." Xander said, as a feeling that someone was watching him, came over him. Looking around, he saw an attractive black woman with a scarf over her head, hiding behind a tree.

Smiling lovingly at him, she winked at him seductively and ran into the woods. Looking back at the others, he saw that they were preoccupied with gathering all the fish they caught. His decision made, he took off in the direction of where the woman went.

Hearing her giggle, he ran behind a tree and saw a hint of her long dress sweep behind another tree. Following her in childlike amazement, he ducked behind the tree and immediately froze at what he saw hanging in it.

* * *

"Where did Xander go?"

"Nature must've called." Jesse said as he and Ash shared a quick laugh.

"Hey guys come here!" Xander yelled, running out of the woods. Ash was about to make a joke about him running out of the woods, but seeing how serious he was he decided to hold his tongue. Grabbing a shotgun out of the trunk he and Jesse ran to where Xander was going.

As they came out into a clearing of trees, they both looked up at a big oak tree and saw what was left of two black bodies swinging in the southern breeze. Maggots had long ago eaten out their insides and they were nothing more then hollowed out shells hanging on some rotted rope.

"God dammit!" Jesse said aloud as he took a step back. He had seen many humans and demons dead before, but this...

"When I was a little boy my father took me out into a field, similar to this one and showed me the fresh bodies of two black men that were hanged." Ash said as he stared at the bodies, the memory fresh in his mind. "He put a hand on my shoulder and said son I want you to remember seeing this, because what you're looking at is the way of the world. Whenever something or somebody comes into your life that you don't like, you get rid of it. Destroy it. I've never been more ashamed of my fa...of just being alive period."

"What do you think we should do?" Xander asked, not letting his uncle sink into that dark part of his life. "Do you think we should tell the police?"

"Xander look at them." Ash said pointing at the husks. "They've been here rotting in the sun for years. They aren't even that deep in the woods so I know someone has seen these bodies. The local authorities just don't give a damn."

"So what we're just supposed to leave them there?"

"No." Ash replied, suddenly determined. "We're going to go into town and buy some shovels. We'll bury them."

Town Square

An Hour Later

As a kid, Xander had enjoyed watching old movies about the south. But looking at the place before him, he saw that maybe Hollywoods depiction of it wasn't that far off. As he looked around all he saw was pick up trucks, dirty overall wearing men, and hillbillies.

"Hey here's the towns hardware store." Ash said as he got out of the car and walked towards the old rundown building. "I'll just get what we need and we'll get the hell out of here."

As he walked in the store, he saw that the proprietor was a bespectacled old man wearing sleeve garters and a visor. What was most strange about him, was that one of his eyes was yellow and sightless. Behind him were stacked, among other necessaries, sacks of cement and other small items.

"Can I help you boy?" he asked as he pushed a small tin across the counter and spat in it.

"Um yeah." Ash said giving him a look. "I want two sturdy shovels, two 2 by 4, nails, and a hammer."

"You burying somebody?" the owner, Earl, asked as he got a hammer and some nails from the back of the counter.

"Nothing like that." Ash replied nervously. "I just got some work to do in town and then I'll be on our way."

"That'll be $35.50." Earl said as Ash handed him the money. As he walked out of the door, Earl stared at him suspiciously before picking up the phone. "Hey Sheriff, I need to talk to you about a man that was just in here."

* * *

As Ash walked outside, into the hot Mississippi sun, someone ran into him almost knocking him off his feet. Looking down he smiled as he saw that it was a little black girl that had bumped into him. She was about twelve with ratty blue jeans, denim jacket, and a knapsack slung over her shoulder. He frowned however, as he saw a frightened look flash across her face.

"Slow down slugger." Ash said with a wiry grin. "What's the rush?"

"There you are you little bitch!" a voice growled from behind them. Turning, even as the girl latched onto the back of his leg, he saw a fat man with a balding head, quickly walking up towards them.

"Hey what's the problem?" Ash asked, putting his arm around the girls shoulder.

"That little..."

"Keep in mind that if you call her a bitch one more time then I'll have to knock your teeth out." Ash said with a glare. "Now what did she do?"

"She stole some food from my grocery store." the man said, getting red in the face. "And she had better..."

"How much does she owe you?" Ash interrupted.

"About thirty five or thirty six dollars." the man replied, as he stroked his beard and stared at the girl hard.

"Well here's forty." he said as he reached into his pocket and handed him some money. "That should cover anything she stole."

"You better be lucky somebody's watching out for you kid." the store owner said grumply as he walked off.

"My name is Ash." Ash said, as he turned around and grabbed the girl's arm gently. "What's yours?"

"R...Rona." she replied as he let her go.

"Well Rona, why were you stealing from that guy?"

"Because I was hungry dumby..." she said causing him to smile down at her. "It's because my uncle can't afford food all the time."

"Well the next time you get hungry..." Ash said taking a one hundred dollar bill out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her. "Buy some food." he said as he walked off.

Rona stared after him for a second as she held the money in her hand. No white person had ever showed kindness to her, except for her uncle. Shoving the money in her back pocket, she took off towards home.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Xander asked as his uncle walked up towards the car.

"Just had to deal with a little something." Ash replied as he threw the supplies in the trunk. "Now let's get this over with."

As they went back to the field Ash cut down the bodies and made a headstone out of the wood he bought as Jesse and Xander dug a grave. As they got finished and filled the grave with dirt, Ash stuck the makeshift grave marker into the ground, sweat pouring off his brow.

"It's starting to get dark and I'm bushed." Jesse started as he looked up and saw the sun dipping low in the sky. "Let's say we find a cheap hotel and head out in the morning?"

"Good idea." Ash replied as he wiped at his forehead. "I saw one when we were on our way to town. For what it's worth, I'm sorry this happened to you both." he said looking down at the grave they had just dug. "Rest in peace."

Later That Night

As Ash, Xander, and Jesse looked around they all found themselves in an all white grande ballroom. There was no one in the room, but mysteriously a piano played an eerie tune that echoed in the ballroom.

"What the hell is going on?" Ash asked as he looked down at himself. They were all in black tuxedo's but even stranger he had his real hand back. As he said those words the tempo of the piano music sped up, making it that much more creepy.

And as it did so, the room started to fill, in a ghostly way, with people of all colors, who all stood dancing. They were all wearing formal wear and they looked to be having a good time. Suddenly someone tapped Ash on the shoulder and he turned around and saw a beautiful black woman staring up at him.

"Excuse me sir." she said as Xander recognized her as the woman in the woods. Looking back at him also, she gave him a slight wink before looking back at Ash. "But may I have this dance?" before he could answer, she grabbed him by the hand and they went on the dance floor. Similar things happened to Jesse and Xander, as they were dragged on the dance floor by two beautiful women.

"Who the hell are you?" Ash asked, even as he was compelled to twirl the lady around.

"My name is Marie." she replied as she leaned on his chest and swayed in his embrace. "And I need your help Mr. Ash."

"You and everybody else apparently. Is this some kind of dream?"

"Yes this is very much a dream. One that will save a lot of people." she said as she looked back up at him, before settling her head back on his chest. "There's a little girl Ash. One that needs you to protect her long enough to find her destiny."

"Whoa lady, I can help but all this destiny crap..."

"You have no idea how important you, your nephew, and his friend are do you?" she asked, stopping him cold. "You have an important destiny to finish Ash. One that this girl...my daughter is a part of."

"You're dead aren't you?" Ash asked, as he just now felt how cold her body was.

"Yes, but I need you to make sure that my daughter doesn't die." she said as she leaned close into his ear and started to whisper.

As she finished talking she kissed him on the cheek and stepped back from him. As she did so the room started to change, to that of something dark and the people turned into dust.

"Oh and Ash." she said as she got his attention again. Looking at her, her beauty faded and her skin turned a charred black with maggots falling out of her mouth and eye sockets. "Thanks for burying me and my husband."

Sitting up in his cot, sweat pouring off of him, and his breath coming out in ragged puffs Ash looked around and saw Jesse and Xander staring at him. Similar looks on their own faces.

"Did anybody else just have a dream about having a dance with dead people?" Xander asked.

With a roll of his eyes, Ash layed back down in bed and thought about what new mess they had gotten into. With a groan he closed his eyes, because he was going to find out tomorrow.

The Next Day

"Are you sure this is the place?" Xander asked as he looked up at the old farm house. For some odd reason there were about twenty cats running around on the property. "It looks pretty quiet to me."

"Hey, I just follow where the dead people send me." Ash said as he and Jesse got out of the car and walked across the lawn.

Bang! A rifle shot suddenly kicked up dust in front of them.

"It doesn't seem all that quiet now." Jesse said with a shake of his head.

"Hold it rah chair!" someone yelled from the house.

The front of the farm house showed only a harshly shaded front porch and a dark screen door. The screen door then swung open and a man, wearing a cowboy hat emerged on to the porch and stepped down into the sunlight, holding a gun almost bigger than he was.

"What the hell are you boys doing on my land?" the man asked as he altered, pointing the gun between them.

"Are you John Carlsson?" Ash asked, as Rona walked up behind John and grabbed onto his leg.

"Who wants to know?" John asked as he cocked the slide back on his rifle.

"And you really expect me to believe that boy?" John asked after a few minutes of Ash explaining to him about Marie. They had all walked into his home and had a seat on his couch. He knew that Marie always thought herself to be a witch, but he had never believed in all of that supernatural mumbo jumbo. "She was a good friend of mine and I have half a mind to shoot you for..."

"Now hold on a minute Johnny boy." Ash said as he stood to his feet. "Before you get to the part about how much you loved Marie, I want to know why you left her there hanging? I understand you couldn't help her that night, but how after all of these years could you leave her there hanging in a tree?"

"Is that what really happened to my parents uncle Hatten?" Rona asked as she walked into the room and let go of the cat that she was petting in her arms. "I can't believe this!"

"Rona!" Hatten yelled, as his surrogate little niece ran out of the front door. "Rona!"

"I'll go after her." Ash said as he ran in the direction she ran into. They had nearly made it all the way to the woods before he was able to catch up to her. "Hey honey wait up." he said as he grabbed her arm. As he did so she turned around and collasped in his arms in a crying fit. "Shh... it's okay."

"B...but my parents..."

"Are in a far better place then this now."

"But..."

"But nothing." Ash told her firmly. "Now let's go back to your uncle's house so he can explain everything to you."

As Ash stood to his feet and took her by the hand, about to lead her back to the house, something banged him on the back of the head knocking him to the ground like a ton of bricks, unconscious. Looking up to see what had happened, Rona saw an older white man, with a scar on his forehead standing over them with a rifle.

"Come on gurl!" the man growled out as five men with white robes stepped out of the neighboring bushes. "You're commin' with us."

* * *

"They've been gone to long." Hatten said more to himself as he paced around his living room. "Maybe I should..."

"If my uncle said that he'll get her, then he'll get her." Xander said, as yet another cat jumped into his lap. 'Damn how many cat's does this guy have?' "Now believe me, she'll be safe."

"I...I wish that were true." Ash said as he stumbled into the room, holding the back of his bleeding head.

"What happened... where's..."

"They took her."

"They?" Hatten asked, only for Ash to give him a look. It only then took Hatten a second to realize who "they" were.

"Damnit."

"I want to know what's going on, and I want to know now." Ash demanded as he grabbed Hatten by the scruff of the shirt.

"I...I...the reason I didn't bury Marie and Daniel was because the sheriff told me that if I touched their bodies or told about the things I saw, that he was going to take Rona from me and hang her too." he confessed as Ash let go of him. "It was the only way I could save her."

'Then it's my fault that he took her now.' Ash thought to himself.

"What do we do now?" Jesse asked. "We can't just leave her..."

"And we're not." Ash said with a sudden ruthless smile. "John I need you to tell me where the KKK might take her and where the nearest costume shop is."

"Costume shop?" Jesse mouthed to himself in confusion.

"Well if we're gonna follow one of your plans, then let me make a call first." Xander said as he took out his cellphone.

"Ha ha ha." Ash replied dryly. "Now this is what I have planned."

Susan's Costume Shop

An Hour Later

"The sales lady said that the last two ghost costumes are in this bin." Xander said as he started digging through a large costume bin, with tons of monster outfits in it.

Hatten and Ash had already gotten theirs and were waiting outside. Picking through another set of masks, his hands suddenly stopped on an all black one, with three red streaks going down the face of it.

"Hey why did you stop on that one?" Jesse asked as he looked over his shoulder.

"I don't know." Xander replied, as he felt on the fabric, before tossing it back in the bin. "It just seemed so familiar."

"Well come on, I got the costumes." he said holding up the bags with them in it.

As they walked outside they saw Ash sitting in the back seat of their car, sewing a red badge on his ghost costume. Even as Hatten had the masks and was putting a coned piece of card board in the head pieces, by his old pick up truck.

"We don't have alot of time left so give me your costumes." Ash said as he reached his hand out for them. "Hatten are you sure about where they're gonna do this?"

"As sure as I'll ever be."

Later That Night

KKK Headquarters

Rona sat in a dark room, tied up to a chair and blindfolded. Shivering with fear she heard people walking around her and heard people whispering. After a few minutes somebody put their hand on her shoulder and squeezed it tightly.

"You know I've waited almost twelve years to hang you little gurl." Sheriff Williams whispered into her ear. "I don't know what I was thinkin'. I shudda just hanged you along right with them."

"Wh...why did you kill them?" Rona asked, nervously.

"Because of what your father did to me." Williams sneered as he took off her blindfold. As she looked up at him, she saw that his face was something demonic.

The human in him was washed away and his face was now red and his head was bald. There also appeared to be pieces of skin missing from his forehead, revealing an even redder flesh beneath.

"Do you see what he did to me?" he asked as he pointed at a huge scar on his forehead. "That damn demon hunter."

Before Rona could build up enough courage to scream, Williams took the blind fold and stuffed it in her mouth to gag her. As his men turned around to see what was happening, he quickly started to shake his head until his human face reappeared.

"Come on boys. It's time to finish the job." he said as he cut off her restraints with a hunting knife. With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he grabbed up the muffled screaming Rona and headed off with his boys.

As they walked outside they saw other people in white robes drifting down the hill, through the woods behind the house. After marching a few minutes through the dense woods, they finally came into a clearing. After looking around for a minute her eyes finally settled on an oak tree with a rope tied to one of it's branches.

"Don't worry sweetheart." Earl, the hardware store owner, said as he put on his hood. "This'll only hurt for a second."

"Why do I think that's not true?" a Klansman asked as he put a glock up to Earl's head. Before the Sheriff could move, three more Klansmen walked up and held up shotguns to keep the others at bay. "Let the girl go Sheriff or I'll blow a hole through Earl, here's head."

"You son of a bitch." Williams said even as he let Rona go. "Do you think you'll be able to get out of these here woods alive?"

"I think we will." Hatten said as he popped the Sheriff behind the head with his shotgun. Falling to his knees, he looked up at his men before falling unconcious on the ground.

"Come on guys let's go!" Ash said as he threw off his mask and grabbed Earl by the neck to use him as a human shield.

Snatching up Rona, Xander and the others ran through the woods shedding off their costumes as they went. As they got close to the edge of the wood exit, Ash kicked Earl into a tree before running with the group to Xander's car and Hatten's truck. Just as they started to speed away, the klan along with the Sheriff came running out of the darkness of the woods.

"Everybody get into your trucks." Williams said as he took off his costume. "It looks like we have five folks that's gonna hang tonight."

Hatten's Home

Minutes Later

"It doesn't look like any of those goons followed us." Xander commented as he looked out of the window and off into the night.

"Well I'm still gonna watch the door." Ash replied as he grabbed up a shotgun and headed towards the door.

"Rona listen there's something I need to tell you." Hatten started as he sat down beside her on the couch. "Something I shoulda told you about you and your family a long time ago. Yer pa was a famous demon hunter and yer ma was a witch that used to work for a place in England called the Watcher's Council." he said making Jesse and Xander look over at him.

"What...what did you say?" Jesse asked, only for Hatten to ignore him and concentrate on his neice.

"And yes demons are real."

"I...I know." Rona interrupted him. "The Sheriff is some kind of thing."

"What...are...are you sure?" Hatten asked, only for her to shake her head. 'So that's why Daniel attacked the Sheriff that night.'

"So you're some kind of Watcher?" Xander asked as he walked over to them. "That's it, isn't it?"

"No, I'm just an informant for them. I was sent here years ago to watch Daniel and Marie for them and to see if they would one day come and work for them again." Hatten said a little uncomfortably. "After they died the Council dropped me. But after a few more years I found out something special about Rona herself, that I kept from them." he said making Ash look over at them.

"Something special about me?" Rona asked wide eyed, making her uncle smile down at her.

"Yeah. I found out that you're a potential Slayer. One gurl in all the world, a chosen one, born with the strength..."

"And skill to hunt the vampires and stop the spread of evil." Xander finished for him.

"How did you know..." before Hatten could finish his question, a shotgun blast sounded out that shattered the front window.

"Shit!" Ash yelled out as he looked out of the window. As he did he saw the Sheriff along with twenty people in plain clothes, with laterns in their hands. Next to the Sheriff, a deputy sheriff watched impassively through mirrored sunglasses, a bloodhound drooling at his side.

"Come on out, all of ya!" Williams yelled through a bullhorn. "You choose it, boys - the prison farm or the pearly gates!"

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Jesse asked.

With a nod of his head to Earl, the older man along with three others tossed their lanterns through the broken window of Hatten's house instantly igniting the living room with fire.

"When they come out, I want all you boys to open fire."

"I don't think so Sheriff Williams." a voice said behind him. Startled he turned and saw ten out of town police officers, holding up rifles. "Now drop your weapons all of you and put up your hands." the black Sheriff yelled to the klan members.

"This is my town." Williams said even as he complied with what the other Sheriff was saying. His other men doing the same as the deputies started to put handcuffs on them. "You ain't got no jurisdiction here."

"According to Governor Ronald Musgrove, I do now." he said as they all heard something falling. Looking back at the house they saw that the fire had spread quickly and the front part of it had already started to collapse.

"You're too late anyway boy!" Williams yelled over the roar of the flames. Shaking his head, he now appeared to them all in his demonic guise as he ran towards the house. "You're too late."

"Jesus Christ." the black Sheriff said, taken aback, even as a support beam fell over the door of the house sealing Sheriff Williams in. His evil laughter could then be heard from the house even as it burned all away.

"Sheriff Tate?" a voice asked behind him. Startled he turned around and lifted up his gun, his hand violently shaking. "Whoa...whoa it's me Alexander Harris. We talked on the phone remember?" Xander asked, with suet on his face. As soon as the lanterns flew through the house they had all ran through the back way.

"Sorry...sorry." Tate said as he put down his gun. "What the hell was that..."

"Trust me you don't want to know." Xander said glancing at the house.

"Wait you two know each other?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, when Ash told me he thought up a plan to get Rona, I called Sargeant Belmont and he then called down here and talked with Sheriff Tate. Sheriff Tate called me later and I told him what was going on and to meet us down here." Xander explained.

"I've been trying to catch that guy in the act for years." Tate said as he stared at the house nervously. He was so gonna take a vacation after this. "But we needed to catch him in the act. Which we did tonight. Thank you for what you've done here." he said as the two shook hands, before he walked off.

"My house." Hatten said grumply as he looked at it turning into ash.

"Can be rebuilt." Ash said as he put a hand on his shoulder, even as the fire fighters sirens could be heard in the distance. "Now let's go to the hotel and we'll get some sleep."

The Next Day

Veronica Hotel

Early Morning

"I'm sorry about your house and the fact that we have to leave so soon." Ash was saying as he shook Hatten's hand.

"Don't worry about my house, Sheriff Tate told me that his department'll give me money to get it rebuilt." Hatten replied. "And I finally found out a little more about the Sheriff. He was a demon that fed off the hate of others. That's why he joined with the klan."

"Hey has anybody seen Rona?" Xander asked as he and Jesse came out of the hotel room.

"Yeah, I haven't seen her all morning." Jesse commented.

"I'm sure she'll turn up. She hates long goodbyes." Hatten said as he shook Xander and Jesse's hands. "Have a good journey my friends." he said as he walked off.

Letting out a sigh, Ash and the others got into the car and drove off and onto the highway.

"Why do you look so down?" Xander asked his uncle as he looked in the back seat, after about an hour of driving.

"Well I actually wanted to see Rona before we left. I wanted to give her something." he said taking a golden necklace out of his pocket. He had once given it too his first love Linda, years ago but after she... he then had wanted to pass it down to his daughter when she had gotten older but she too was gone.

"Maybe we can pass back through Mississippi before we head back to Sunnydale. Because of all of what's happened it doesn't look like we're gonna be able to visit all the states in time anyway."

Before Ash could comment, they all heard a loud thumping sound.

"What was that?" Jesse asked as Xander pulled over on the side of the road.

"I don't know but it sounded like it came from the trunk." Ash said as he and Jesse stepped out of the car. As Xander popped the trunk open, Jesse and Ash looked inside and smiled.

"It looks like we have a stowaway." Jesse said as Rona looked up at him sheepishly, as she adjusted her backpack.

"What the hell are you doing in there kid?" Ash asked as he helped her out.

"I was in there sweating to death." Rona replied as she wiped a bead of sweat off her face. Seeing that he was frowning at her, she relented. "I wanted to come with you. I didn't like it where I was."

"But what about your uncle?"

"It was his idea that I come with you."

"That little rat." Ash said under his breath as he shook his head.

"Oh this is just great!" they heard Xander yell out in frustration.

"What's wrong Xand?" Ash asked. "You're not mad that Rona's here for the ride are you?"

"Of course not." he said as he held up the newspaper that blew by his foot moments before. "I'm mad about this."

"Two more teens found dead in Clarkesville, Alabama." Jesse read the headline as he walked over and took the paper from him. "Looking up to where they had stopped, he saw that they were parked under a sign that read Welcome to Clarksville. "Damn."

"What's wrong?" Rona asked confused.

"We're about to start another adventure." Ash told her grimly. Could they ever just relax?


End file.
